Democracy 'increasingly failing' voters in the West, report says

Disillusioned voters in the United Kingdom believe their government is in the pocket of political donors and powerful corporations, according to research from a think tank.

The Institute for Public Policy Research said British voters have lost faith in democracy and believe the interests of the masses are being overshadowed by donors and businesses.

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

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

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 found that 25 percent believed donors had the most influence over political parties. Some 16 percent said big corporations had the most influence. About 13 percent said it was newspapers, while 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".

It also 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.

Poor understanding

Disillusioned voters have been canceling their membership of political parties, switching allegiances, and backing populists as a result.

The study also found that 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. "Democracies have not been delivering well for their citizens."

Patel also said politicians and parties in 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.