Satisfaction with Australian democracy has halved over the past decade and entered “freefall” since 2013, according to a new survey.

During the final year of the Howard government, 85.6 per cent of Australians expressed satisfaction with how Australian democracy was working, according to a report to be released on Wednesday by “Democracy 2025”, a joint initiative between the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House and the University of Canberra’s Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis.

Satisfaction fell sharply - to 72 per cent – in 2010, after the knifing of Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister.

Julia Gillard took over the leadership from Kevin Rudd in 2010 before the latter returned, briefly, to the top job in 2013. Credit:Steve Holland

But satisfaction entered a “freefall” between 2013 and 2016, tumbling to 42 per cent, where it has remained in this year's survey.