What type of government do we prefer these days? & What we think of our current system:
Bottom Line: We live in a Representative Republic (hopefully that's not news to many). That doesn't mean that everyone wants to continue with our current form or government or that many wouldn't at least consider another system. The Pew Research Center studied our thoughts on a system of government and it was full of intrigue and interesting takeaways. Let's start with our thoughts on our current system of government:
Representative:
86%( say it's at least good)
Direct Democracy:
67% - favor this idea
Rule by "Experts":
40% - favor this idea
Rule by single leader:
22% - favor this idea
Military Rule:
17% - favor this idea
It's evident that many are open to multiple forms of government. It's also a bit alarming. The good news if you prefer freedom, is that our system of government wins out with nearly 9 in 10 expressing support for our government. All of the others make my head hurt starting with 2/3rd's that are evidently uneducated on the basics of government. For as long as I can remember I've carefully denounced the characterization of our system of government being a "democracy" and other loose usage of the term. It's the most failed form of government ever attempted. Ironically all other forms of government surveyed - including dictatorships and military rule have and are viable but not democracy.
Democracies have been attempted throughout history and within about every type of culture. They've all failed. There is literally no operating democracy in the world. Not even in native tribes do they exist and it's evident that the average American doesn't realize that the very idea isn't even possible. A direct democracy would mean that every person would vote on everything. In the United States there wouldn't be local, state or federal governments. There'd only be one that everyone would vote on for everything that the country would decide to do. Get the absurdity of the notion? Yet two-thirds favor it. In that context I guess I shouldn't be alarmed that more than 1 in 5 would go along with a dictatorship. In case you're among the 67% on the democracy thing...We're a Representative Republic in the United States please pass it on. That apparently isn't the norm (even in the education system).