the state of public opinion
Elsewhere another related body of research literature has explored popular support for democratic values in many global regions -- including in post-Communist Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Arab states -- documenting almost universal expressions of public approval for democratic governance, including in many societies governed by autocratic regimes.[i] The evidence presented here further confirms these observations. Lastly a smaller body of research has examined what people understand about the idea, principles and procedures of liberal democracy.[ii] Cognitive awareness of the meaning of democracy is analyzed to explore whether there are shared understandings of this complex concept. The results suggest that some support democratic governance based on an informed knowledge of the basic procedures and principles associated with liberal democracy, while others express approvalfor more instrumental reasons.
[i]William Mishler and Richard Rose. 1995. ‘Trajectories of Fear and Hope: Support for Democracy in Post-Communist Europe.’ Comparative Political Studies 28:553-81; Rose, Richard, and William Mishler. 1996. ‘Testing the Churchill hypothesis: popular support for democracy and its alternatives.’ Journal of Public Policy 16:29-58; Richard Rose, Richard, William Mishler, and Christian Haerpfer. 1998. Democracy and Its Alternatives in Post-Communist Europe: Testing the Churchill Hypothesis. Cambridge: Polity Press; Roderic Camp. ed. 2001.Citizen Views of Democracy in Latin AmericaPittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press; Michael Bratton and Robert Mattes. 2001. ‘Support for democracy in Africa: Intrinsic or Instrumental.’ British Journal of Political Science 31(3); Michael Bratton, Robert Mattes, and E. Gyimah-Boadi. 2004. Public Opinion, Democracy, and MarketCambridge: Cambridge University Press; Russell J. Dalton and Doh Chull Shin, eds.,2006. Citizens, Democracy and Markets around the Pacific RimOxford: Oxford University Press; Larry Diamond and Marc F. Plattner. 2008. How People View Democracy. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press; Yun-han Chu, Larry Diamond, Andrew J. Nathan, and Doh Chull Shin. Eds. 2008. How East Asians View Democracy. New York: Columbia University Press.
[ii]Michael Bratton and Robert Mattes. 2001. ‘Support for democracy in Africa: Intrinsic or Instrumental.’ British Journal of Political Science 31(3);Larry Diamond and Marc F. Plattner. 2008. How People View Democracy. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press.