Beliefs About Democracy and Satisfaction with Democratic Government: The Canadian Case

Abstract

This study uses 1990 Canadian national survey data to investigate public beliefs about democracy and how these affect satisfaction with the opera tion of an existing democratic political system. Confirmatory factor analyses reveal that conceptions of democracy are structured in terms of four factors- security, opportunities, elections-capitalism, and equality of group influence. All four factors affect levels of democracy satisfaction, controlling for several other influential variables. Consistent with the long-standing, but largely un tested, congruence hypothesis, Canadians whose beliefs about democracy tend to be consistent with the realities of political life in their country are more satisfied than are those whose beliefs accord less well with prevailing practices.

Institutional Quality and Perceptions of Representation in Advanced Industrial Democracies

“…Thus, the modest effect of regime type in Western Europe only emerges when I control for the individual-level characteristics of citizens. One such effect is captured through dyadic correspondence: Government supporters are somewhat more likely to feel represented in majoritarian systems than in proportional regimes (Anderson & Guillory, 1997;Kornberg & Clarke, 1994). When the multivariate analyses use the broader set of OECD nations, the same patterns emerge (Table 3).…”

“…Accordingly, if citizens believe that a system represents them, regime support is presumably increased; if it is perceived to ignore the preferences of citizens, support usually declines (Kornberg & Clarke, 1994;Pitkin, 1967).…”

“…Those who support the current government should, all else being equal, be closer in policy views than those who oppose it (Kornberg & Clarke, 1994). An implication of Powell's work is that this congruence is greater in majoritarian than proportional regimes.…”

Testing the Internet's Effect on Democratic Satisfaction: A Multi-Methodological, Cross-National Approach

“…Congruence theory posits that satisfaction with democracy is contingent on individuals' beliefs about what actually constitutes democracy (Anderson & Guillory, 1997;Kornberg & Clarke, 1994;Miller, Hesli, & Reisinger, 1997). Consequently, the capacity to define democracy is a crucial component in shaping support for democratic governments, particularly those in transition.…”

Public perceptions of the EU as a system of governance

“…The essence of liberal democracy rests on many foundations including the idea that government is designed to respond to its constituents, whether in the form of policy output or regular re-construction (Miller and Listhaug 1990). If people believe they are being fairly and accurately represented in government, their support for that government is likely to increase or be high and when this is not the case, little support is expected (Kornberg and Clarke 1994;Pitkin 1967). However, while the effect of feeling represented is necessary, it is not sufficient for widespread support.…”