Substantial numbers of Indians support undemocratic modes of rule, new numbers from a global survey show, yet identify themselves as democrats.
The report, ‘Democracy in India: A Citizens’ Perspective’ is part of a global survey on attitudes to democracy and was conducted in India by Lokniti at the Delhi-based Centre for the Study of Developing Societies in 2013, covering over 6,000 respondents in 22 states. The sample was selected to be representative of gender, caste, religion and class. A similar survey was conducted in 2005.
As in the past, the proportion of respondents who said that they always preferred democracy to other kinds of government was under 50 per cent, with 43 per cent either indifferent or of no opinion, and 11 per cent – up from 6 per cent in 2005 – saying that under some circumstances an authoritarian government was preferable to a democratic one. The proportion of people who said they were satisfied with the way democracy worked in India went down, and the proportion of those who said they were dissatisfied more than doubled. Support for authoritarianism was higher among richer, better educated people and those with high media exposure.
However, even among those who supported it, views about democracy were complicated, Sanjay Kumar, Director of CSDS, explained. Nearly 40 per cent of all people approved of the statement that India should get rid of Parliament and elections and have a strong leader decide things, while 35 per cent disagreed (the rest had no response). Similarly, nearly 40 per cent of people agreed that we should have experts make decisions on behalf of the people rather than Parliament and elections, as opposed to 33 per cent who disagreed. However more people disagreed with the army taking over to govern the country (46 per cent) than agreed (30 per cent). In the end, just 23 per cent of people in all did not support rule by any undemocratic leader or institution.
Among all the essential characteristics of democracy, respondents gave the highest weightage to the freedom to participate in protests and demonstrations, followed by the provision of basic necessities like food, clothing and shelter.
As in 2005, political parties were the least trusted political institutions, and the police the least trusted unelected institution. Trust in Parliament, while low, rose between 2005 and 2013, while the army continued to be the most trusted institution. The civil service was perceived as the most corrupt, more so than local, state and central governments. In general, trust went up among the elites and upper classes, while trust levels declined among Muslims. Muslims had the lowest trust in the police and the highest in the courts.
While participating in political rallies or protests was relatively uncommon, voting and following political events in the media were the most common modes of participation in political and electoral activities.
On social issues, there was overwhelming support for reservations in private schools and jobs as well as government jobs for both religious minorities and backward caste groups. More people thought it unacceptable that a caste panchayat prevent an inter-caste marriage (47.1 per cent) than those who thought it acceptable (41.8 per cent).
