By Noel Flay Cass writing for The Conversation
From the article,
An opinion poll carried out just before the 2021 UN climate conference COP26, found that 79% of UK respondents “would accept stricter rules and environmental regulations” imposed by their governments. And yet 44% “don’t think [they] really need to change [their] habits”. Our findings confirm that when the public discuss policy options, they tend to conclude that the government should accept responsibility for imposing system change if they want the “voluntary” behaviour change they expect from the public.
Authoritarianism is so effective because it is often popular. Authoritarian leaders often derive their power from their popularity. We created legal rights to protect the minority from the majority, otherwise, there would be no point in fighting for them. Contrary to popular belief, plenty of authoritarian leaders around the world are elected. The popularity or democratising of authoritarianism doesn't make it less frightening, if anything it makes it more so.