Democracy in danger: Can political psychology help?

Democracy is in danger. Around the world - in Hungary, India, Israel, South Africa, Turkey and elsewhere - it is being eroded. In the United States it is clearly extremely vulnerable. In the UK, some authoritarian parliamentarians, supported and encouraged by sections of the news media, chip away repeatedly at human rights law and the separation of powers between the executive (the government) and the legislature and judiciary.

I wrote about these concerns in a special issue of The Psychologist  in June 2017, suggesting that psychologists could and should act against these dangerous trends. Since 2017, the attacks on democracy both internationally and at home have increased. The danger of all this is not just a set of serious risks for the future, but the effects are with us now, at home as well as abroad.

Dishonesty and corruption at the centre of government in the UK can only spread cynicism and distrust of politicians, increase polarisation, and damage our social and moral fabric more widely. Social justice is threatened. Psychologically what this amounts to, I believe, is that the wellbeing of the UK population is being harmed by the failing health of our democracy. The need for action is greater than ever.

At the BPS Psychology of Democracy 2023 Conference in Salford on 22 May 2023, colleagues drawn from across the political spectrum agreed to work together to apply psychology to highlight and oppose these alarming trends. We invite you to join this endeavour.

Democratic health and psychological wellbeing

The first step is to draft a public statement in conjunction with the Political Psychology Section of the British Psychological Society. This would summarise the attacks and dangers facing our democracy and their psychological and social effects, both actual and potential. This should all be evidence-based.

The statement should warn of the consequences of further damage, and propose changes on the part of politicians, psychologists and citizens in general. I suggest that it should be written so as to be accessible both to our fellow psychologists and to politicians and the public. The title of the statement might be: 'Democratic health and psychological wellbeing'.

Our aim in writing this statement is that it should have influence, helping to arrest, even if only very modestly, further damage to UK democracy. Therefore, another essential step will be to decide how the statement should be publicised and disseminated. This too should be agreed collaboratively within the Political Psychology Section and in discussion with other elements of the British Psychological Society. I hope that other steps would then follow, as we continue to apply psychological knowledge to safeguard and strengthen our democracy.

If you would like to contribute to the first stage of searching and summarising relevant evidence and then drafting a statement, please contact Ashley Weinberg ([email protected]) indicating any particular area you would prefer to concentrate on within the structure outlined above. I look forward to collaborating on an important shared task.

This article is from the Summer 2023 issue of the Political Psychology Section Bulletin.