This paper explores the opinions of young people in 29 low and lower middle income countries
about democracy and politics. Using data from international public opinion surveys, the study
investigates whether young people in developing countries are more likely to express democratic
values than their older counterparts, and whether the political attitudes of young people vary with
socio-demographic characteristics. Satisfaction with the way democracy works in practice tends
to be lower than support for democracy in the abstract. Overall, interest in politics appears to be
lowest among young people in Latin America and highest among those in Africa. Although
higher educated young people tend to prefer democracy to any other form of government in the
abstract, they are less likely to be satisfied with the actual performance of democracy in their
countries. Despite being more interested in politics generally, higher educated young people
appear to express lower levels of confidence in political institutions.