Madagascans are clearly very keen to preserve key civil liberties: freedom of expression, the right to organize and freedom of the press. These attitudes, which were already apparent in the 2005 survey, appear to be even more strongly felt in 2008. The vast majority of Madagascans are also deeply attached to the general principles of democratic governance (against one-party rule, presidential dictatorship or ‘one-man rule’ and military rule).

Beyond the matter of principles, Madagascans are nonetheless fairly guarded about the actual practice of democratic governance in their country. While Madagascans are fairly satisfied with the respect of real civil liberties, 22% feel they are not at all or not very able to express their opinions freely. One quarter of Madagascans also claim that the specific kind of government in place is of little importance, indicating a degree of disenchantment with the political authorities. Lastly, even those Madagascans who recognize that democratic principles are effectively practised and applied also complain frequently that democracy is far from perfect. This dissatisfaction with democratic governance is mirrored by a limited degree of trust in Madagascar’s political institutions. Only the President of the Republic of Madagascar still enjoys a high level of public trust, as he did in 2005. By contrast, barely one adult in two has any trust (wholly or in part) in their local council, and just 47% of Madagascans trust their National Assembly. Opposition parties remain distinctly out of favour.

In short, there appears to be a degree of disenchantment among Madagascans, resulting in a low level of interest in politics and limited public participation in the political life of the country. Barely 50% of Madagascans claim they met with others in the course of the past year in order to solve a local issue and less than 10% of Madagascans claim they contacted a politician to resolve a local issue. Less than 3% of Madagascans say they took part in a demonstration or protest. All of these types of political participation have declined since 2005, marking a relative retreat of Madagascans from the political life of their country.