Fewer than half of young Australians believe democracy is always preferable to other forms of government, as trust in institutions wanes. Recent national disasters such as floods and fires exposed pressures on community infrastructure and exposed patterns of exclusion, according to ANU research. While Australians are broadly supportive of democracy in principle, they are less satisfied with its outcomes, the report released on Thursday found. Just under 44 per cent of Australians aged between 18 and 24 agreed democracy was always the preferred option, compared to almost 90 per cent of people aged 75 and over, according to the research....