For too long, some states have ruled behind a façade of democracy, while deploying innately exclusionary models of governance. This has been marked by ongoing inequality, government under-performance, and elite self-enrichment. The findings show that tolerance for these trends is waning across the continent. When citizens have been actively disappointed with the delivery of democratically elected governments, they are more likely to support non-democratic styles of governance ¬– including military rule. This is particularly true for contexts where democracy is perceived to have been abused, or where levels of corruption and insecurity are perceived to be high. Citizens want democratic renewal. The majority of participants surveyed indicated a clear preference for democratic governance, characterized, in particular, by free and fair elections, gender equality and the protection of civil rights.