On a first glance, I see many issues with this article: (sorry for my mediocre English)
1. Extremists may have given pro-democracy answers in order to make their ideology/side seen as more benevolent.
2. Thinking that a democracy isn't a "very good" political system doesn't mean that you are going to be less contrary to an authoritarian political system. Maybe the opposite is true.
2a) Many people may have answered that democracy = "very good" simply because that's the idea that's been pushed by media, school, social pressure, etc.
Maybe the same psychological trait that makes people be skeptic of this idea that democracy is basically the perfect system is the one that makes people develop a centrist ideology,
2b)Maybe that same skepticism would make them oppose an authoritarian regime more than people who think democracy is perfect
3. Maybe people who think democracy is "very good" also think that an authoritarian regime is not that bad, but people who think democracy is mediocre think that an authoritarian regime is inacceptable.
4. Maybe the scale centrists use for good-bad is offset in relation to the scale extremists use for good-bad, but the relative distances between a dictatorship and a democracy are the same in both scales.
5. The author says that liberty and democracy are inherently related, which might not be the idea that everyone has. Then he confuses "I think liberty is necessary for democracy" with "I support liberty" which is not always the case.
Example: someone might fully support liberty, but not think that democracy always ends in liberty, maybe people will democratically decide that liberty is undesirable in favor of security, equality, etc.
My point is that you can't conclude the author's thesis from the data presented in the article alone.
1) You assume extremists act as a group rather than individuals in this survey, why don't centrists do the same?
2) In comparison to extremists, centrists we're less likely to say democracy is very good. Authoritarianism isn't the only alternative to democracy.
2a) then yes, centrists are not as supportive of democracy as extremists.
2b) sure
3) same as above. It doesn't matter what the alternative is, they are less supportive of democracy than extremists.
4) Not sure I understand (no need to list this in my reply, but just being consistent)
5) again, those who hold those ideas (that democracy doesn't lead to liberty) are less supportive of democracy.
Are you just trying to rationalize why someone would not be supportive of democracy? That isn't an issue with the article, that is a justification of the centrist position.
It also isn't so well determined that authoritarianism and democracy are so opposite... Part of the idea of two houses was to limit what was seen as the eventual authoritarian endgame of unfettered democracy. Liberal democracy is liberal because it doesn't have as much democracy as democracy, if it did, they would just call it democracy. I mean, they do, but that is only because they don't know what they are talking about.
2 is a really good point. It's the right wing parties here who talk most about direct democracy bla bla (but in reality only for stuff they would like to have). And present themselves as the people for the masses. Not that different to Trump I guess...
I'm more leftish but also feel that democracy isn't perfect. Mostly because of the "majorities voting for issues regarding minorities" thing. But authoritarian is even worse.
1. Extremists may have given pro-democracy answers in order to make their ideology/side seen as more benevolent.
2. Thinking that a democracy isn't a "very good" political system doesn't mean that you are going to be less contrary to an authoritarian political system. Maybe the opposite is true.
2a) Many people may have answered that democracy = "very good" simply because that's the idea that's been pushed by media, school, social pressure, etc.
Maybe the same psychological trait that makes people be skeptic of this idea that democracy is basically the perfect system is the one that makes people develop a centrist ideology,
2b)Maybe that same skepticism would make them oppose an authoritarian regime more than people who think democracy is perfect
3. Maybe people who think democracy is "very good" also think that an authoritarian regime is not that bad, but people who think democracy is mediocre think that an authoritarian regime is inacceptable.
4. Maybe the scale centrists use for good-bad is offset in relation to the scale extremists use for good-bad, but the relative distances between a dictatorship and a democracy are the same in both scales.
5. The author says that liberty and democracy are inherently related, which might not be the idea that everyone has. Then he confuses "I think liberty is necessary for democracy" with "I support liberty" which is not always the case.
Example: someone might fully support liberty, but not think that democracy always ends in liberty, maybe people will democratically decide that liberty is undesirable in favor of security, equality, etc.
My point is that you can't conclude the author's thesis from the data presented in the article alone.