Australia’s faith in democracy has plummeted, with voter satisfaction cut in half in the past decade

The Australian public’s satisfaction with the way democracy works in the country has crashed, prompting fears that future governments could be perceived as illegitimate by most voters.

A new survey has captured the dark mood of the electorate, with voters fuming that politicians are rarely held to account for breaking promises, barely one in three voters saying they trust the federal government, and most Australians saying they dislike the conflict-driven politics of federal parliament and want a different system.

The Museum of Australian Democracy and the Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis at the University of Canberra have released findings from their joint research, Trust and Democracy in Australia, which shows a worrying cultural shift has occurred in Australia.

The national survey of 1,021 people, taken in July before the Liberal party’s latest leadership spill, found satisfaction with the way democracy works has fallen precipitously over the last decade.

In 2007, 86 per cent of voters were satisfied with Australia’s democracy, but that figure dropped to 72 per cent by 2010 – where it plateaued for three years before going into free fall, plummeting to 41 per cent between 2013 and 2018.

It means voter satisfaction with Australian democracy, as it is being practised, has more than halved in 10 years.

The Museum of Australian Democracy says if nothing is done and current trends continue, fewer than 10 per cent of Australians will trust their politicians and political institutions by 2025 – resulting in ineffective and illegitimate government, and declining social and economic well-being.

The survey – released on Wednesday – shows the erosion of trust in Australia’s democratic institutions has begun to affect how citizens relate to each other.