By Jessica Frank-Keyes
Record levels of Britons now want experts to run the country, a global democracy survey has found.
Almost two thirds of the British public – 61 per cent – in 2022, said having experts, not politicians, make decisions according to what they think best, was a good way of governing.
The finding comes six years after cabinet minister Michael Gove famously claimed during the 2016 Brexit campaign: “People in this country have had enough of experts.”
It marked a significant rise over the last two decades, with just 41 per cent backing the same question in 1999, according to research by the King’s College London (KCL) policy institute.
The UK also has the highest level of support of any western nation, of the two dozen surveyed, beating Australia – at 59 per cent – and Spain – on 57 per cent.
Professor Bobby Duffy said “increasing support for expert roles in national decision-making” is now at “record levels” in the UK and shows Brits “recognise the importance of expertise”.
The KCL analysis of 23 countries was carried out as part of the World Values Survey (WVS) – one of the largest and most widely used academic social surveys in the world.
Michael Gove didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Can’t get no… satisfaction?
Researchers also found the UK had low levels of satisfaction with politics – with just 17 per cent of people saying they were “highly satisfied”, among lowest of the 23 nations asked.
It put Britain on par with Russia, 16 per cent; Mexico, 17 per cent; and Nigeria, 15 per cent.
The UK also ranks far behind Norway, 41 per cent, and Canada, 36 per cent, but beat France, 13 per cent, and the US and Italy, both on just 12 per cent.
But despite widespread dissatisfaction with UK democracy in practice, public opinion has actually become more supportive of it in principle.
In 1999, 76 per cent of Brits thought democracy was a very or fairly good way of governing, but by 2022, this was up to 90 per cent, while only a minority prefer an authoritarian style.
Professor Duffy added: “Support for the idea of democracy is extremely high and rising in the UK – but we are much less convinced by how it is working for us right now.”
He continued: “There is no evidence here that people in the UK are tired of the principle of democracy and are becoming more open to authoritarian models of government.
“We’re at risk of mixing up dissatisfaction with the outcomes people have experienced in recent years with a decline in support the system as a whole.”
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