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Why do people living in democratic countries vote for political candidates who openly violate democratic standards? A new study by a University of Notre Dame researcher has found that diverse understandings of democracy among voters can lead to votes for authoritarian-leaning political leaders.

"A considerable variety in democratic views leads part of the electorate to overlook violations of democratic norms such as minority rights protection or restraints on executive power," said Marc Jacob, assistant professor of democracy and global affairs at Notre Dame's Keough School of Global Affairs. "These varied attitudes represent an important vulnerability for the democratic system as they can enable authoritarian political candidates to access and retain power."

The study, in the British Journal of Political Science, found that voters' differing conceptions of democracy shape their ability to recognize democratic violations and, in turn, affect their voting choices.

Jacob and co-authors Natasha Wunsch of the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, and Laurenz Derksen of ETH Zurich, conducted a candidate choice experiment in Poland, a democracy where elections remain competitive despite some democratic backsliding over the past several years. (Democratic backsliding occurs when existing democracies slip backward toward autocracy and is currently taking place in every region of the world.)

The researchers found that respondents who supported democracy in principle but adhered less strongly to liberal democratic norms, such as minority rights protection and constraints on executive power, tolerated democratic violations more readily.

"Where liberal democratic commitment is weak or unevenly distributed across the electorate, voters cannot reliably act as safeguards against democratic backsliding," Jacob said.

Conversely, voters who subscribed more strongly to a liberal understanding were more likely to vote against non-liberal candidates, even those from their own political party.

Jacob said that additional survey-based research and qualitative approaches such as focus groups may provide further insights into citizens' divergent understandings of democracy. To counter further democratic backsliding, the researchers recommend extensive and deliberate investment in civic education of citizens that highlights how each individual benefits from democratic governance, especially in more recent democracies.

"Democracy education often features big, abstract ideas, but it's just as important to show people how civil liberties, power-sharing and the rule of law directly benefit them—and to remind them that their votes play a crucial role in keeping those values alive."