Is Democracy in Plain Sight? Presidential Personalism and Public Opinion About the Country’s Democratic Status
Abstract
It is often assumed that people’s beliefs about democracy are independent of their political motivations. Recent research, however, shows that partisan and political identities play a crucial role in shaping attitudes toward democracy. This study argues that citizens who identify with a personalist president are more likely to perceive their country as a democracy. Personalist presidents legitimize their power and authority by appealing to their supposedly exceptional individual qualities and political skills. Their personalist style may thus enhance the sense of collective agency and inspire citizens to believe they live
in a democracy—but only to a point. Strongly personalist presidents can exert the opposite influence. Drawing on representative surveys from twelve Latin American countries, the analysis indicates that voters are more likely to view their country as a democracy at moderate levels of personalism. Highly personalistic presidents tend to divide the electorate, with opposition voters becoming more skeptical about their country’s democratic status. These findings suggest that personalistic presidents undermine democratic accountability by polarizing public opinion about democracy.
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Druckman, J. N. (2012). The Politics of Motivation. Critical Review, 24(2), 199-216. https://doi.org/10.1080/08913811.2012.711022
Frantz, E., Kendall-Taylor, A., Nietsche, C., & Wright, J. (2021). How Personalist Politics Is Changing Democracies. Journal of Democracy, 32(3), 94-108.
Gamboa, L. (2022). Resisting Backsliding: Opposition Strategies against the Erosion of Democracy. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009164085
Gordillo García, J. (2025). Erosión democrática en Mexico: repertorio e innovaciones autoritarias (2018-2024). Convergencia, 32, 1-28. https://doi.org/10.29101/crcs.v32i1.24668
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Hawkins, K. A., & Mitchell, G. A. (2025). The Effect of Populist Incumbents on Democracy. PS: Political Science & Politics, 58(1), 77-81. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049096524000453
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Klingemann, H.-D. (2014). Dissatisfied Democrats: Democratic Maturation in Old and New Democracies. In R. J. Dalton & C. Welzel (Eds.), The Civic Culture Transformed: From Allegiant to Assertive Citizens (pp. 116-157). Cambridge University Press.
Krishnarajan, S. (2023). Rationalizing Democracy: The Perceptual Bias and (Un)Democratic Behavior. American Political Science Review, 117(2), 474-496. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055422000806
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Levitsky, S. (2018). Latin America’s Shifting Politics: Democratic Survival and Weakness. Journal of Democracy, 29(4). https://doi.org/http://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2018.0066
Levitsky, S., & Loxton, J. (2013). Populism and Competitive Authoritarianism in the Andes. Democratization, 20(1), 107-136. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/13510347.2013.738864
Levitsky, S., & Way, L. A. (2010). Competitive Authoritarianism: Hybrid Regimes after the Cold War. Cambridge University Press.
Little, A. T., Schnakenberg, K. E., & Turner, I. R. (2022). Motivated Reasoning and Democratic Accountability. American Political Science Review, 116(2), 751-767. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055421001209
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