More than half of people living in democracies believe their freedoms have been overly restricted during the Covid-19 pandemic

A survey has shown that 53% of citizens living in democracies feel their freedoms are being infringed upon by their government’s response to Covid-19, and the dissatisfaction has grown since last year.

The study, conducted by the Alliance of Democracies Foundation and brand tracking firm Latana, published on Wednesday, claimed that in democratic countries, citizens have become less satisfied by their government’s response to the pandemic over the course of the past year. 

Polling more than 53,000 individuals in 53 democracies, the survey shows that, while 70% of people were satisfied with their government’s response in spring 2020, satisfaction had fallen to 51% in spring 2021. 

Concern that governments are doing too much to limit personal freedoms has increased too, with 53% saying their freedoms had been overly restricted in spring 2021, versus 45% in spring 2020.

“We now need to come out of the Covid-19 pandemic by delivering more democracy and freedom to people who want to see their country become more democratic,” said Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Chair of the Alliance of Democracies Foundation.

The survey, which also looks at other issues relevant to many democratic nations, suggests that people believe economic inequality to be the biggest threat to democracy. Foreign interference was seen as a lesser threat, with nearly half concerned by the impact of US interference on their democracy. 

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