Learned Democracy? Support of Democracy in Central and Eastern Europe

Abstract

In this article, the extent of support for democracy is determined for thirteen countries in Central and Eastern Europe as well as in East Germany. In addition, West Germany, representing an established democracy, is included as a benchmark country. The analysis rests on the assumption, that a democracy can be regarded as consolidated only if it is supported by the majority of its citizens. The empirical analysis is based on comparative surveys conducted in 1998-2001, after a decade of experience with the new democratic structures. The results show that in most countries of Central and Eastern Europe support for democracy is considerably lower than in West Germany. This holds true not only for electoral democracies but also for liberal democracies in Central and Eastern Europe. In five countries, the percentage of respondents who can be classified as nondemocrats is about 50 percent. Thus, the consolidation process in most of the new democracies in Central and Eastern Europe is not yet complete.

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