Democracy 'increasingly failing Western voters'

Disillusioned United Kingdom voters believe their government is in the pocket of political donors and powerful corporations, according to research from the Institute for Public Policy Research, or IPPR.

The body, which claims to be the UK's "pre-eminent progressive think tank", says British voters have lost faith in democracy and believe the interests of the masses are being overshadowed by donors and businesses.

The report, titled Road to Renewal, which was written in conjunction with the Observer newspaper, found millions of voters believe their voices are unheard.

The document was based on a survey, conducted by YouGov, of 3,442 adults.

Only 6 percent said they believed their opinions were the main thing that influenced political parties as they formed policies and made decisions.

The survey, which was also commissioned by the Electoral Reform Society and Unlock Democracy, found 25 percent believed donors had the most influence over political parties. Some 16 percent said big corporations had the most influence. While 13 percent said it was newspapers, and 12 percent said lobbyists and pressure groups had the most sway.

The report said the Conservative Party government was seen by many as having "sidelined" Parliament because it was "briefing the media before MPs, passing sweeping pandemic legislation without parliamentary censure", and having "minimal parliamentary oversight of Brexit negotiations and the (suspension) of Parliament".

The study said the situation in the UK was similar to that in all the main countries that claim to be democracies, where voters have become dissatisfied with the democratic process, and where the turnout for elections has fallen as a result.

The report said disillusioned voters have been canceling their membership of political parties, switching allegiances, and backing populists as a result.

The study found 78 percent of voters thought politicians in the UK had a poor understanding of their lives, while only 1 percent thought they understood voters "very well".

Among UK voters aged between 18 and 24, only 19 percent said democracy was serving them well. As recently as the 1990s, two-thirds said they believed it served them well.

Parth Patel, a research fellow at the IPPR, said many world leaders have praised the merits of "liberal democracies" recently, without acknowledging their failings.

"The reality is … the battle for democracy needs not only to be won abroad; it must be won at home, too," he said. "In truth, democracies have not been delivering well for their citizens."

Patel said politicians and parties in the so-called democratic countries are increasingly seen as out of touch, "and the sway of ordinary citizens over public policy has declined". "Many are opting out of political participation altogether, while large numbers have lent their support to populist challengers－signs of a protest against 'democracy as usual'," he said.

The IPPR said political parties should have an urgent rethink about how democracy works, and look for ways to reconnect citizens with politics and politicians, mainly through the devolution of more political power.