I've argued before that Ghanaians have found "peace" with democracy as their preferred form of government.
This is supported by the trends I've noticed in their replies to three specific questions in the Afrobarometer study. The basis of my argument is the percentage of citizens who (a) believe that democracy is better to any other system of governance; (b) believe that leaders must be elected via regular elections; and (c) believe that military, one-party, and one-man control are unacceptable.
But, aside from how much we love democracy, there's the conundrum of how much democracy we feel we're receiving.
In recent years, the extent to which people say they are content with the way democracy works has been predominantly assessed by the extent to which citizens say they are satisfied with the way democracy works, a question also addressed by the Afrobarometer poll.
The notion of a balance sheet
A democracy balance sheet contrasts how much we say we want democracy (measured by democratic support) to how much democracy we believe we are receiving (measured by satisfaction with the way democracy is working). Three consequences emerge from the balance sheet construction. The first is a surplus, which is expressed as a positive figure and indicates that citizens believe they are gaining more from democracy than they anticipated.
This initial result, in my opinion, is a really beneficial trend toward which governments should aim. The second is a deficit, which is symbolized as a negative number, indicating that citizens believe they are receiving less democracy than they wish. Finally, a balance is struck when citizens believe they are receiving the same level of democracy as they desire.
Our overall financial picture
Ghana's democracy balance sheet has reported deficits seven out of eight times during the course of eight rounds of the Afrobarometer poll, with contentment with how democracy works behind support for democracy. The deficit was at its largest (-23%) in Round 1 of 1999 and at its lowest (-7%) in Round 7 of 2017. (-three per cent).
The democracy balance sheet showed a surplus (+2%) in Round 4, 2008, with voters' satisfaction with how democracy worked somewhat greater than support for democracy. Overall, the findings of the eight rounds of the poll suggest that our democracy has a deficit (-9%), with 75% of Ghanaians saying they favor democracy and 66% saying they are content with the way democracy is operating.
In Round 2, 2002, there is an important argument to be made regarding our support for and pleasure with democracy. Because 37% of Ghanaians replied "don't know" to the preference for democracy question and 36% answered "don't know" to the preference for democracy question, I refer to that year as a time of democratic uncertainty.