I would say that the biggest threat to democracy is the plebs getting what they want. That usually "cures" democracy. We crave simplicity, where it does not exist. We then listen to every liar that comes down the pike, promising what we may not have.

I find that the least interesting conversations are those that relentless point to parts of the so called ideological spectrum that seems to mean different things depending on who you talk to.

The far left. centrists. Alt right.

A great deal of worthwhile communication about ideas is lost when people focus on the ideological spectrum rather than the ideas themselves IMO.

Maybe that makes me a centrist. I have no idea.

This whole thing is garbage. It presumes we already have a 'democracy'. We don't. Instead we have a rigged system that benefits the few.

I'm guessing The New York Times is owned by a multinational or a rich family. Either way it is not the voice of the people; it is the voice of the ruling class. The same ruling class who control and manipulate our so called 'democracy', reinforcing the cultural hegemony in the process - which is why the ruling class owns the news media.

It seems to me that "centrist" is far too broad a range for this to be meaningful.

Furthermore, those surveyed were only marked as centrist with a very simplistic, point-based scale from left to right. The people taking the survey would've had to use their own non-standardized conception of what "centrist" meant.

Also, it seemed to me that "hostile" is hyperbolic, as it is being used to say that those surveyed simply did not agree that democracy was a "very good" or the "best" system of government.

It's opinion. You'll find defenders of democracy on the spectrum: left, right and center

That article is surprising! I wonder what ‘mind-set’ put the centrists in motion? It seems as if there is a collective shift in consciousness? Need more study on this!

What species of idiot centrists are hostile in any way?

The New York Times is a left wing piece of crap and therefore very unreliable.

I am unconvinced.

It's the New York Times. They are part of the establishment.

The statistics are there, but it's not necessarily the correct conclusion.
Most centrists have "given up" on democracy, because they are disillusioned with the results of elections which invariably end up giving power to the left or right - ie. to one or other of the extremes. Where they don't, the government in power is usually a cobbled together coalition of centrist parties, each squabbling to put forward their particular "centrist" outlook, so often the government is inept.