Understanding citizen satisfaction with democracy in Central and Eastern Europe

Abstract

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] The collapse of communism throughout Central and Eastern Europe during the late twentieth century produced several new democracies, providing citizens with the chance to participate in free and fair elections for the first time in their lives. While democracy has become a widely accepted form of government in Central and Eastern Europe during the past two decades, understanding determinants of citizen satisfaction with democracy in operation remains an important task. Using individual-level data from three European public opinion surveys, this study finds evidence that evaluations of economic conditions, trust in political leaders and institutions, and professed satisfaction with one's life are all extremely useful predictors of satisfaction with democracy throughout Central and Eastern Europe today.