Do Age Gaps between Politicians and the Public Reduce Support for Democracy?

• In Event: Voters and Democratic Backsliding

Abstract

Some recent research suggests that younger people may be less committed to democratic governance than older people. Why would the young support democracy less? In this paper, we propose that age differentials between political leaders and the general public may cultivate perceptions among younger generations that the political system is unresponsive to their preferences, leading to a perception of inefficacy in democratic representation. We test this argument in three ways. First, we use data from the World Values Survey to analyze whether younger people are particularly less likely to support democracy when the age gap between political leaders and the public is larger in their respective countries. Second, drawing on original survey data from Italy, South Korea, and the United States, we investigate whether dissatisfaction with democracy is more prevalent among younger individuals who perceive personal age-related disadvantages. Third, we use a survey experiment in the aforementioned three countries to assess whether priming the age gap with political leaders diminishes satisfaction with democracy among younger individuals. This research contributes to understanding popular support for democracy across age cohorts at a moment when popular politics is contributing to democratic backsliding in several countries.

Authors

• Scott Williamson, Oxford University

• Luca Bellodi, Stanford University

• Alonso Roman, Bocconi University