Perception and Attitudes Toward Democracy in Russia and Europe

Perception and Attitudes Toward Democracy in Russia and Europe


Salmina A.A.,

Senior Researcher, Laboratory for Comparative Studies in Mass Consciousness, Expert Institute, National Research University Higher School of Economics, asalmina@hse.ru


elibrary_id: 817890 | ORCID: 0000-0002-9170-0867 | RESEARCHER_ID: B-8392-2015


DOI: 10.17976/jpps/2019.04.09
Rubric: Russia Today

For citation:

Salmina A.A. Perception and Attitudes Toward Democracy in Russia and Europe. – Polis. Political Studies. 2019. No. 4. https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2019.04.09


The study was implemented in the framework of the Basic Research Program at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE University) in 2018. The author thanks V.S. Magun for valuable comments and tips on finalizing the article


Abstract

The article presents the results of the study based on the data of the 2012 European Social Survey. The author analyzed the correlation between the population’s attitude towards democracy and the assessment of the importance of its individual aspects (“understanding” of democracy). The analysis was carried out on data from Russia and groups of European countries (Northern Europe, Western Europe, Southern Europe, and the post-socialist countries of Central and Eastern Europe). The average resident of all European countries would like to live in a democracy; Nordic countries most strongly wanted to live in a democracy, whilst those who least strongly wished to came from postsocialist countries, especially Russia. Despite a number of similarities between groups of European countries, one can see significant differences between groups of countries in Western and Northern Europe and the group of post-socialist countries and Russia. Russians and the population of the group of post-socialist countries have a lesser attitude towards democracy in their understanding of the importance of its individual characteristics (correlation coefficients with each of the signs of democracy are lower than in other groups of countries). Most signs of democracy are equally important components in the perceptions of the population of Russia and post-socialist countries, while in other groups of countries these views are more differentiated. The study draws attention to the lack of validity of questions about the general attitude towards democracy, used in many international and national polls. It is associated with differences in the understanding of this concept by supporters of democracy in different groups of countries. 

Keywords
democracy, attitudes toward democracy, Europe, Russia, European Social Survey.


References

Alexander A., Welzel C. 2011. Measuring Effective Democracy: The Human Empowerment Approach. – Comparative Politics. Vol. 43. No. 3. P. 281-289. www.doi.org/10.5129/001041511795274931

Bratton M. 2002. Wide but Shallow: Popular Support for Democracy in Africa. – Democratic Institution Performance: Research and Policy Perspectives. Ed. by E.R. McMahon, T. Sinclair. Westport, CT: Praeger Publisher. P. 39-62.

Bratton M., Mattes R. 2001. Support for Democracy in Africa: Intrinsic or Instrumental? – British Journal of Political Science. Vol. 31. No. 3. P. 447-74. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007123401000175

Ferrin M., Kriesi H. 2014. Europeans’ Understandings and Evaluations of Democracy: Topline Results from Round 6 of the European Social Survey. ESS Topline Results Series. URL: http://www.europeansocialsurvey.org/permalink/800ea36f-3a8d-11e4-95d4-005056b8065f.pdf (accessed 21.04.2019).

How Europeans View and Evaluate Democracy. 2016. Ed. by M. Ferrin, H. Kriesi. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Human Beliefs and Values: A Cross-Cultural Sourcebook Based on the 1999-2002 Values Surveys. 2004. Ed. by R. Inglehart et. al. Mexico City: Siglo XXI.

Inglehart R. 2003. How Solid is Mass Support for Democracy – And How do We Measure it? – Political Science and Politics. Vol. 36. P. 51-57. URL: http://folk.uio.no/berasch/Inglehart-PS.pdf

Klingemann H.-D. 1999. Mapping Political Support in the 1990s: A Global Analysis. – Critical Citizens: Global Support for Democratic Governance. New York: Oxford University Press. P. 31–56. www.doi.org/10. 1093/0198295685.003.0002

Pennings P. 2017. When and Where Did the Great Recession Erode the Support of Democracy? – Zeitschrift für Vergleichende Politikwissenschaft. Vol. 11. No. 1. P. 81-103. URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12286-017-0337-x (accessed 21.04.2019)

Schedler A., Sarsfield R. 2007. Democrats With Adjectives: Linking Direct and Indirect Measures of Democratic Support. – European Journal of Political Research. Vol. 46. No. 5. P. 637-659. URL: https://works.bepress.com/andreas_schedler/7/ (accessed 21.04.2019).

Welzel Ch. 2017. Freedom Rising. (Russ. ed.: Welzel CH. Rozhdenie svobody. Ed. by E.D. Ponarin, O.A. Oberemko. Moscow: VCIOM. 404 p.)

Volkov D., Goncharov S. 2015. Demokratiya v Rossii: ustanovki naseleniya. Svodnyi analiticheskii otchet [Democracy in Russia: Attitudes of the Population. Summary Analytical Report]. Yuri Levada analytical center. (In Russ.) URL: http://www.levada.ru/sites/default/files/report_fin.pdf (accessed 21.04.2009).

O chem mechtayut rossiyane (razmyshleniya sotsiologov) [The Dream of the Russians (Reflections of Sociologists)]. 2012. Moscow: Institute of Sociology of RAS. (In Russ.) URL: http://www.isras.ru/analyti­cal_report_o_chem_mechtayut_rossiyane.html (accessed 21.04.2009).   

Content No. 4, 2019

See also:


Shapiro Ien,
Rethinking Democratic Theory in the Face of Contemporary Politics. – Polis. Political Studies. 2001. No4

Krasin Yu.A.,
Metamorphoses of Democracy in the Changing World. – Polis. Political Studies. 2006. No4

,
Mirage of democracy. – Polis. Political Studies. 2014. No6

Nesterova S.V., Sibirko V.G.,
Perception of Political Leaders and the Attitude towards Democracy: Some Features Peculiar to Russians' Consciousness. – Polis. Political Studies. 1997. No6

Pastukhov V.B.,
From Statehood to the State: Europe and Russia. – Polis. Political Studies. 1994. No2

 

   

Introducing an article



Polis. Political Studies
1 2002


Pshizova S.N.
Financing Political Market: Theoretical Aspects of Practical Problems (1)

 The article text (электронная версия)
 

Archive

   2024      2023      2022      2021   
   2020      2019      2018      2017      2016   
   2015      2014      2013      2012      2011   
   2010      2009      2008      2007      2006   
   2005      2004      2003      2002      2001   
   2000      1999      1998      1997      1996   
   1995      1994      1993      1992      1991