Those who live in a stable democracy should be the most likely to believe in the value of peaceful protest, right? Well, not necessarily. A recent Gallup poll asked whether respondents "believe that groups that are oppressed and are suffering from injustice can improve their situation by peaceful means alone." The countries that saw the least need for downtrodden groups to resort to violence weren't prosperous democracies, but those with some of the most unstable governments in the world.

Below are percentages of respondents by country who answered that oppressed groups can improve their situation through peaceful means alone:

  • Kyrgyzstan 77%
  • Haiti 71%
  • Pakistan 70 %
  • Moldova 65%
  • Sweden 59%
  • United States 54%
  • Israel 33%

Source: Gallup World Poll surveys conducted in 2007 and 2008

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