‘Does everyone have a price?’ Professionals from the world of philosophy and psychology have spent the entire history of humanity trying to get an answer. Would you be willing to give up certain comforts in exchange for money? Could a succulent amount of money make you give up your democratic freedom? A study by the University of Barcelona together with Princeton University has put the price of democratic freedom in countries such as the United States, Brazil or France.
The study published last November in the prestigious journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ensures that, indeed, there is a price for which citizens could give up our democratic freedom. The payment of $230,000 per year is the price an American would be willing to accept to give up his democratic freedom. This figure is based on research carried out in the countries of the United States, France and Brazil. In these states, different people were surveyed asking them to choose between different types of societies, from an authoritarian society to a completely democratic and transparent society. While it is true that the democratic society was the most chosen, respondents were willing to live in an authoritarian society if they increased their annual income to $230,000. As mentioned in the research, the average income in the United States is $72,000 annually. That is, if their income increased by more than 200%, Americans would give up a society with freedoms such as, for example, the right to vote.
Although in recent times there has been a growing political polarization in almost all countries on the planet, causing certain doubts about the ‘health’ of democracy, the study is categorical on the matter. Surveys reveal that “an overwhelming majority of citizens” opt for “having democratic institutions.” This research goes further and confirms that “liberal democratic values ??remain substantially strong in high- and middle-income democracies.” In other words, democracy continues to be imposed as the optimal way of governing.
While it is true that the global crossroads in which we live, with an increasingly complex world, marked by technological advances, societies may be tempted to give up certain aspects of their individual freedom and for the sake of security and stability, Democratic freedom continues to be a fundamental pillar for the development and well-being of society.
