African youth overwhelmingly support democracy over authoritarian alternatives but are more dissatisfied with how democracy functions in their countries compared to older generations, according to Afrobarometer’s inaugural flagship report.
The report which is the first in an annual series focuses on critical issues, and synthesises over a decade of data, including the most recent surveys conducted in 39 African countries. The survey reflects the perspectives of more than 53,000 face-to-face interviews, representing over three-fourths of the continent's population.
The findings indicate that while African youth (aged 18-35) are just as supportive of democracy as their elders, they are more open to the idea of military intervention when elected leaders abuse their power. Additionally, young Africans exhibit lower levels of trust in government institutions and leaders, often perceiving them as corrupt.
Despite their strong views, African youth are less likely than older generations to express their dissatisfaction or preferences through voting or other forms of political engagement, such as joining collective actions or contacting local government officials.
The report also highlights that youth prioritize issues like unemployment and economic management, with many believing their governments are failing in these areas. These challenges indicate that the voices of young Africans are not yet fully integrated into the continent's policy-making processes.
The report examines factors that drive democratic support and satisfaction in Africa and includes country democracy scorecards that present graphic illustrations of Afrobarometer findings on the most critical indicators of attitudes toward democracy for each of the 39 countries surveyed.
Afrobarometer survey
Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life. Nine survey rounds in up to 42 countries have been completed since 1999. Round 9 surveys (2021/2023) cover 39 countries.
Afrobarometer’s national partners conduct face-to-face interviews in the language of the respondent’s choice. National samples of 1,200-2,400 yield country-level results with margins of error of +/-2 to +/-3 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
Key findings
1. On average across 39 countries, almost two-thirds (64%) of youth (aged 18-35) prefer democracy over any other kind of government (Figure 1).
They join older cohorts in rejecting dictatorship (80%) and military rule (65%) but are more likely to accept military takeovers “when elected leaders abuse power for their own ends” (56% of youth vs. 47% of those over age 55). Youth are more likely than their elders to see “most” or “all” officials in the Presidency as corrupt (40%) and to be dissatisfied with the way democracy is working in their country (60%).
2. Youth are less likely than older citizens to vote in elections: 63% of those old enough to vote in their country’s last election say they did so, compared to 78%-84% of older cohorts (Figure 2).
They also trail in other forms of political engagement, including identifying with a political party, attending a community meeting, joining others to raise an issue, and contacting a local leader.
3. Unemployment tops the list of the most important problems that African youth want their government to address (cited by 37%), followed by management of the economy (30%) and health (28%) (Figure 3).
4. Only two in 10 youth (19%) say their government in performing well on job creation, while 25% and 41%, respectively are satisfied with the government’s performance on economic management and improving basic health services (Figure 4).
See the full report here.
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