India’s democratic high: Why 74% still believe in the system

India ranks among the top five nations where citizens are most satisfied with how democracy functions

People stand in a queue to cast their ballot to vote at a polling booth during the fifth phase of voting of India’s general election in Ayodhya, in the country’s Uttar Pradesh state. — AFP file

At a railway station in Bhopal earlier this year, an elderly man stood patiently in line, not for a ticket or tea, but before a kiosk that helped citizens register for various government services through a state-run digital portal.

“Yeh sarkari hai, aur kaam karta hai,” he said, marveling at the touchscreen, and the fact that the services were available at the tips of his fingers.

“It’s government-run, and it works.” That quiet remark captures something more profound than mere satisfaction with service delivery; it speaks to a deeper faith in the machinery of democracy.

The recent Pew Research Centre report confirms that sentiment. Conducted across 24 countries, the study reveals that India ranks among the top five nations where citizens are most satisfied with how democracy functions, with a striking 74% of Indians voicing approval.

That puts India just behind Sweden, and ahead of countries like the Netherlands, Indonesia, and Mexico all of which reported high levels of satisfaction with both their democratic systems and economies.

Pew’s report draws a direct line between economic optimism and satisfaction with democracy.

In India, a majority of respondents also said the national economy is in good shape, a perception fueled by government-led infrastructure growth, digital public goods like UPI and Aadhaar, and welfare programs that reach deep into rural pockets.

Take a town like Barabanki, for instance. The recent boom in solar-powered irrigation, new roads, and mobile banking channels have given farmers tangible benefits through government initiatives and technological progress.

What we’re witnessing is the power of visible progress. When citizens see roads being built, subsidies arriving on time, or corruption being tackled even if unevenly, they begin to associate democracy with tangible outcomes. This isn’t blind faith. It’s faith earned incrementally.

India’s democratic strength lies in its bottom-up energy. Gram sabhas in villages, civil society activism, social media mobilizations, and youth-led protests create a feedback loop between the people and power.

This active engagement, even when it turns oppositional, is a sign not of democratic weakness but of vitality.

Furthermore, India’s diversity, far from being a liability, reinforces the democratic instinct. Every election, no matter how local, becomes a referendum on identity, governance, and aspiration.

And each peaceful transition of power, however contentious the campaign, renews the citizen’s belief in the process.

With glowing numbers comes the responsibility to ensure that democratic satisfaction isn’t a transient echo, but a foundation for deep, equitable, and enduring governance.

That said, while 74% expressing satisfaction is cause for celebration, that kind of a headline must not drown out the voices of the 26%.

As the world grapples with a democratic recession, India’s 74% satisfaction rate is both a badge of honor and a burden of responsibility.

It reminds us that democracy, for all its imperfections, still works when people believe in it, particularly when that belief is matched by performance.

Back at the Bhopal station, the old man wasn’t celebrating the state; he was acknowledging that, at that moment, he was seen.

For him, that was democracy in action. And for the rest of us, it’s a reminder that no number, 74% or otherwise, means more than the everyday faith that people place in the promise of their voice being heard.

Satisfaction is not the endpoint. It’s a checkpoint. And India, for now, seems firmly on the path of progress and development.

(www.khaleejtimes.com)