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Chapman University

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Public opinion

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Full-Text Articles in Other Political Science

Democratic Commitment In The Middle East: A Conjoint Analysis, Hannah M. Ridge Jun 2023

Democratic Commitment In The Middle East: A Conjoint Analysis, Hannah M. Ridge

Political Science Faculty Articles and Research

Polls from the Middle East/North Africa show high support for democracy. However, the veracity of this support has been called into question. This study uses a conjoint analysis to show that citizens support democratic institutions, as well as favoring an effective welfare state and a state religion. The results demonstrate that support for elected governance is not contingent on the state's providing economic benefits; citizens are more likely to favor participatory government at each level of economic outcome. Interest in incorporating religion in the state, however, is contingent on the political and economic profile described; the contingent effects suggest interest …


Dismantling New Democracies: The Case Of Tunisia, Hannah M. Ridge Jul 2022

Dismantling New Democracies: The Case Of Tunisia, Hannah M. Ridge

Political Science Faculty Articles and Research

After a decade as the stand-out democracy of the Middle East, Tunisia took an anti-democratic turn in July 2021 with President Kaïs Saïed’s self-coup. Using a survey fielded in the weeks after these reforms, this article documents the substantial support for liberal institutions and civil rights in Tunisia. Democracy itself, on the other hand, is not so strongly supported. The study thus identifies potential for democratic backsliding in Tunisia through the strategic implementation liberal but anti-democratic actions. Other would-be authoritarians could follow Saïed’s model of strategic regression to autocratize their regimes.


Electoral Outcomes And Support For Westminster Democracy, Hannah M. Ridge Jun 2021

Electoral Outcomes And Support For Westminster Democracy, Hannah M. Ridge

Political Science Faculty Articles and Research

It is well established that those who supported the winning side in elections report greater specific democratic support – they are more satisfied with the functioning of their democracy – than those who supported the losing side. This literature, however, has focused almost exclusively on winning the presidency or premiership. This project extends that literature to incorporate the effect of district election victories and defeats on citizens’ democratic opinions using post-election surveys in three Westminster-style democracies: Australia, Canada, and Great Britain. It also includes two indicators of democratic institutional support: believing it matters for whom people vote and believing it …


Just Like The Others: Party Differences, Perception, And Satisfaction With Democracy, Hannah M. Ridge Jan 2021

Just Like The Others: Party Differences, Perception, And Satisfaction With Democracy, Hannah M. Ridge

Political Science Faculty Articles and Research

A robust literature on citizens’ satisfaction with democracy argues that system satisfaction is based on the policy outcomes that citizens anticipate from electoral results. A tacit assumption in this research is that there are differences between the parties and that citizens are aware of the ideological and preference diversity in their political environment. Some citizens, however, fail to perceive these differences. Using a multi-national set of post-election surveys, regression analysis, and propensity score matching, perceived party difference is shown to substantially impact citizens’ systemic satisfaction. Those who believe all parties are the same are substantially less satisfied with the functioning …