Delaying choosing an ideology: Yes, I have done that in every game. Admittedly, I'm not playing at a high difficulty level. I want to see what ideology my friends choose, or more importantly, my closest neighbor. I also have not seen many AI choose Democracy. I'm not sure why they value Communism so highly. I have seen several AI choose that one.
Getting the factories up and resources slotted has been straightforward, even without an ideology.
Getting the factories up and resources slotted has been straightforward, even without an ideology.