Public Support for the Liberal­-Democratic Model of Society

Abstract

What determines the public support for liberal democracy as a model of society in different countries? This paper analyzes impact importance of system level features, such as political and economic performance, and individual level features on individual level support for a liberal democratic model of society. The findings obtained using a sample of 36 countries indicate that objective economic performance is the most important macro level factor for diffuse support, irrespective of the stage of economic or political development. If individuals are objectively better off under a liberal democratic form of society, they will support the system. Improvements in the degree of democracy respectively higher democratic involvement do not matter for public support. Predominant for determining specific support is generally not the objective situation, but the individual’s subjective perception of it.

Keywords: System Support, Multilevel Modeling, Economic Development, Democracy

JEL Classification: P16, D02, D72