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There is a strong support for democracy as a system of governance in the country, a nationwide study has revealed.
Nearly sixty-nine per cent of respondents were satisfied with the way democracy is functioning in the country and described democracy as “very important.”
The study, conducted by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Ghana in collaboration with the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), assessed public perceptions of governance, political accountability and democratic values.
It was titled “Stocktaking of Ghana’s Democracy: Public Perceptions on Governance, Political Accountability, Democratic Values and Political Leadership in Ghana.”
The outcome of the study, presented at a ceremony at the GIMPA last Wednesday, was based on data collected from 13,194 respondents across 276 constituencies over a three-week period in December 2025.
The study also established that more than half of Ghanaian voters view Parliament as the legitimate arena for representation and lawmaking.
While eighty-four per cent of persons sampled expressed confidence in the legislative arm of government as an institution, the majority of the respondents were of the view that their MPs did not represent them adequately in parliament.
This perception is high among the age groups 18-25 and 26-35. The study linked such concerns to accessibility of Members of Parliament, responsiveness to local needs, community interest, among others.
The study, therefore, recommended strengthening constituency engagement and demonstrating tangible responsiveness to sustain trust in representative democracy.
A senior lecturer at GIMPA, Dr Joseph Darmoe, who was the lead researcher of the study and presented the report's findings, noted that dissatisfaction with economic conditions or government performance did not necessarily translate into rejection of democratic governance.
“Even where citizens may express dissatisfaction with economic conditions or government performance, it did not translate into rejection of democratic rule itself,” he said.
More than eighty-five per cent of respondents indicated that they engaged in civic or political activities occasionally, while over 90 per cent described Ghanaians as at least somewhat tolerant of differing political opinions.
On his part, the Rector of GIMPA, Professor Samuel Kwaku Bonsu, said Ghana’s democratic journey under the Fourth Republic had made significant progress over the past three decades but required continuous reflection and improvement.
For her part, the Country Director of KAS, Anna Lena Sabroso Wasserfall, described the study as part of a broader initiative to track public perceptions of democracy over time.
