Among 19 Countries, 11 View 'Strong Leaders' Negatively... South Korea Tops at 73%

Among 19 countries worldwide, 11 countries have many voters with negative views of a strong but undemocratic 'strong leader.' In particular, South Korea had the highest negative opinion of strong leaders.

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On the 11th (local time), the think tank International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), located in Stockholm, Sweden, revealed this through the release of the Perceptions of Democracy Report (PODS). The surveyed countries were Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Gambia, India, Iraq, Italy, Lebanon, Lithuania, Pakistan, Romania, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Taiwan, Tanzania, and the United States, totaling 19 countries.

IDEA asked voters in each country about their positive or negative views on strong leaders and the intensity of those views. In eight countries?Gambia, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Romania, Lebanon, India, Tanzania, and Iraq?positive responses were more common.

In the remaining 11 countries, negative responses were more prevalent. Among these, six countries?South Korea, Taiwan, the United States, Italy, Denmark, and Colombia?had more than half of respondents expressing negative views toward strong leaders. Notably, South Korea had the highest negative response rate at 73% among the surveyed countries.

Additionally, generally, there were more voters dissatisfied with the current government than those satisfied. In 17 out of the 19 countries, only 50% or fewer respondents said they were satisfied with their government. Dissatisfaction was especially high among minority groups and low-income respondents.

In particular, South Korea (27%), Italy (19%), and Romania (9%) had many voters with low government satisfaction. On the other hand, Tanzania (79%) and India (59%) had many respondents satisfied with their governments.

Regarding the question, "Do you think the most recent election, considering election day, campaign, and vote counting processes, was free and fair?" respondents who answered "yes" or "somewhat yes" accounted for 50% or less in 11 out of the 19 countries.

For the question, "Does the judicial system provide equal and fair access to justice?" in 18 out of the 19 countries, the proportion of respondents answering "always" or "often" was less than half.

IDEA analyzed, "It is clear that democratic institutions are falling short of public expectations," adding, "Public evaluations of foundational democratic institutions are low, and there is skepticism about the legitimacy of electoral processes, free and equal access to justice, and the ability to freely express one’s beliefs."

This survey was conducted via telephone or internet from July last year to February this year, targeting about 1,500 people in each of the 19 countries. The margin of error is 2?4%.

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