African youth are committed to democracy but express greater dissatisfaction than their elders, Afrobarometer’s inaugural flagship report reveals

their elders to be dissatisfied with the way democracy works in their countries, Afrobarometer’s inaugural flagship report shows.

The report, the first in what will be an annual series on high-priority topics, distills findings from data spanning more than a decade, including the latest round of nationally representative surveys in 39 African countries, representing the views of more than three-fourths of the continent’s population.

The findings, based on 53,444 face-to-face interviews, the findings show that while Africa’s youth (aged 18-35) differ little from their elders in their support for democracy, they express a greater willingness to tolerate military intervention “when elected leaders abuse power for their ends.” They are also less trustful of government institutions and leaders and more likely to view them as corrupt.

But like young citizens throughout the world, young Africans are significantly less likely than older cohorts to express their dissatisfaction and preferences at the ballot box. They also trail their elders in other forms of political engagement, such as joining others to raise an issue and contacting a local government councilor.

The findings show that the youth rank unemployment and management of the economy as their top priorities for urgent government action, and large majorities see their governments as failing on these issues.

Taken together, these deficits suggest that the voices of young Africans are not yet fully heard in the continent’s policy 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.