The best measure of democracy is done annually by The Economist. Their methodology consists of answering a 60-point questionnaire with scores of 0, 0.5, or 1. They then take the score from each category (out of ten) and calculate the average across all categories, from the fairness of the electoral process to the openness of government. Here Gabe de Roche presents how he graded the U of T Students’ Union to arrive at the Democracy Score of 6.54 out of 10—on the low end of what The Economist would call a “Flawed Democracy.”
Read de Roche’s commentary
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- Move to another section of the questionnaire
- + Electoral Process and Pluralism
- ++ Functioning Government
- +++ Political Participation
- ++++ Democratic Political Culture
- +++++ [You are here] Civil Liberties
- ====== The Final Tally
- 44. Is there a free electronic media?
- 1: Yes
- 0.5: Pluralistic, but state-controlled media are heavily favoured. One or two private owners dominate the media
- 0: No
- 45. Is there a free print media?
- 1: Yes
- 0.5: Pluralistic, but state-controlled media are heavily favoured. There is high degree of concentration of private ownership of national newspapers
- 0: No
- 46. Is there freedom of expression and protest (bar only generally accepted restrictions such as banning advocacy of violence)?
- 1: Yes
- 0.5: Minority view points are subject to some official harassment. Libel laws restrict heavily scope for free expression
- 0: No
- 47. Is media coverage robust? Is there open and free discussion of public issues, with a reasonable diversity of opinions?
- 1: Yes
- 0.5: There is formal freedom, but high degree of conformity of opinion, including through self-censorship, or discouragement of minority or marginal views
- 0: No
- 48. Are there political restrictions on access to the Internet?
- 1: No
- 0.5: Some moderate restrictions
- 0: Yes
- 49. Are citizens free to form professional organisations and trade unions?
- 1: Yes
- 0.5: Officially free, but subject to some restrictions
- 0: No
- 50. Do institutions provide citizens with the opportunity to successfully petition government to redress grievances?
- 1: Yes
- 0.5: Some opportunities
- 0: No
- 51. The use of torture by the state
- 1: Torture is not used
- 0: Torture is used
- 52. The degree to which the judiciary is independent of government influence. Consider the views of international legal and judicial watchdogs. Have the courts ever issued an important judgement against the government, or a senior government official?
- 1: High
- 0.5: Moderate
- 0: Low
- 53. The degree of religious tolerance and freedom of religious expression. Are all religions permitted to operate freely, or are some restricted? Is the right to worship permitted both publicly and privately? Do some religious groups feel intimidated by others, even if the law requires equality and protection?
- 1: High
- 0.5: Moderate
- 0: Low
- 54. The degree to which citizens are treated equally under the law. Consider whether favoured members of groups are spared prosecution under the law.
- 1: High
- 0.5: Moderate
- 0: Low
- 55. Do citizens enjoy basic security?
- 1: Yes
- 0.5: Crime is so pervasive as to endanger security for large segments
- 0: No
- 56. Extent to which private property rights protected and private business is free from undue government influence
- 1: High
- 0.5: Moderate
- 0: Low
- 57. Extent to which citizens enjoy personal freedoms. Consider gender equality, right to travel, choice of work and study.
- 1: High
- 0.5: Moderate
- 0: Low
- 58. Popular perceptions on human rights protection. Proportion of the population that thinks basic human rights are well-protected.
- 1: High (more than 70 per cent)
- 0.5: Moderate (between 50 and 75 per cent)
- 0: Low (less than 50 per cent)
- 59. There is no significant discrimination on the basis of people’s race, colour or creed.
- 1: Yes
- 0.5: Yes, but some significant exceptions
- 0: No
- 60. Extent to which the government invokes new risks and threats as an excuse for curbing civil liberties
- 1: Low
- 0.5: Moderate
- 0: High
SCORE: 12.5/17 = 7.353
- Move to another section of the questionnaire
- + Electoral Process and Pluralism
- ++ Functioning Government
- +++ Political Participation
- ++++ Democratic Political Culture
- +++++ [You are here] Civil Liberties
- ====== The Final Tally
