Voter Dissatisfaction

For as long as I’ve been reading newspapers and following the news, I’ve heard of ‘voter dissatisfaction’. Depending on the source, this could be a case of sour grapes but it could also be a warning sign.

I’d like to explain how governments should pay attention to this as they respond to the current pandemic.

The global situation

Research in the United Kingdom shows that voters’ faith in democracy is at a 40-year low. Between the Iraq war, the financial crisis and Brexit, I can’t say I’m surprised that 3 in 5 people are unhappy with the British political system.

The UK isn’t the only country in this situation. There is a trend of falling trust in democracy and its ability to deliver good governance.

The evidence shows income inequality influences how people view their governing elite.

Income inequality

I’ve written about income inequality before.

You can read that article to see my full argument. In summary, avoid income inequality by balancing your economy between services and manufacturing.

As of time of writing, the COVID-19 pandemic is decimating life as we know it in Europe. We’ll see the state playing a large role in daily life which will reduce income inequality to some extent.

I predict we’ll see a long-term decrease in inequality because many industries will bring manufacturing closer to home.

But this will be limited by logistical issues like infrastructure and tax breaks.

Conclusion

It seems obvious but if a population is not happy with its lot in life, it will also be unhappy with the governing elite.

The facts I quote above show the data behind this. It’s not my opinion, it’s a clear fact-based conclusion.

All governments working on exit plans from the pandemic take note:

Repatriate manufacturing for a long-term boost.

References

1. UK voters suffer huge loss of faith in the democratic process; Greg Hurst; The Times of London; 2020-01-29

All references were valid and correct when this article was published. Changes to referenced websites or web pages may render some references invalid. If this is the case, please leave a comment below.