This book provides an innovative and in-depth analysis of how attitudes towards democracy and political institutions differ across 31 countries in Europe, and how these attitudes have fluctuated over time. After addressing conceptual and measurement issues about the evaluative dimension of political support, the authors develop a unique framework assessing the role of the institutional format, the quality of the political process, macro-economic conditions and inequality to explain trends and differences in political satisfaction and trust. The book further explores how education, employment and electoral status create gaps in political support. Citizens and Democracy in Europe will be of interest to students and scholars in comparative politics, political sociology and public opinion.

Provides an innovative framework for understanding attitudes towards democracy and political institutions Presents the effects of contextual changes and citizens' social and political characteristics Explores longitudinal and cross-countries differences in satisfaction with democracy and political trust in 31 European countries

Autorentext

Sergio Martini is a post-doctoral fellow at the Centre for the Study of Political Change in the Department of Social, Political and Cognitive Sciences at the University of Siena, Italy. Mario Quaranta is Assistant Professor of Political Science in the Department of Sociology and Social Research at the University of Trento, Italy.

Inhalt

1. Introduction: Political Support in Flux.- PART I. Conceptual Framework.- 2. Political Support as an Evaluation.- PART II. Context-level Explanations.- 3. Contextual Theories of Political Support.- 4. Changes over time and country differences.- 5. Explaining political support in context.- PART III. Individual-level Explanations.- 6. Individual Theories and the Role of Context.- 7. Gaps over Time and Across Countries.- 8. Explaining Gaps in Context.- 9. Conclusion: Changes and Political Support: What is the Role of Context?