Popular attitudes to democracy in Ghana

This study shows that popular support for and satisfaction with democracy in Ghana has been high and trending upwards since 2002.

Based on Afrobarometer survey data, the authors argue that Ghanaian democratization is advanced in comparison to many other African countries and generally on a safe course. In addition, Ghanaians continue to endorse several aspects of democratic practice and appear to be attached to democratic values, such as electoral choice and limited government.

Nonetheless, there are few areas of concern, especially thinking of the medium to long term future. These include:

• some mass attitudes cast doubt on popular attachments to democracy. For instance, a large majority express feelings of dependence on government
• nearly half (49 percent) of Ghanaians hold the view that citizens must show more respect for authority compared to less than a quarter (23 percent) in 2005 who held the same view. Thus over time, many Ghanaians prefer to remain uncritical of their leaders.
• only 25 per cent of the people think it is the responsibility of voters to ensure that MPs do their jobs once elected; and only 28 percent think it is the responsibility of voters to ensure that the president does his job. These attitudes indicate an extremely weak level of demand for political accountability
• popular attitudes to nepotism are mixed. More than 44 percent Ghanians currently expect elected officials to help their home communities