U.S. Democratic Backsliding and the Decline of Democratic Support Abroad

• In Event: Public Attitudes toward Democratic Principles, Reforms, and Backsliding

Abstract

A growing number of countries are experiencing democratic backsliding. A burgeoning body of research considers the domestic consequences of backsliding but has yet to examine its international implications fully. Specifically, the effect of democratic backsliding in one democracy on public support for democracy abroad has so far defied theoretical and empirical investigation. Addressing this gap in knowledge, we propose that democratic backsliding in one country can affect levels of public support for democratic principles in other countries. In particular, we claim that exposure to information about democratic decline in one country can lead to increased support for anti-democratic principles in another country. To test this hypothesis, we use an original survey experiment in Israel where we test the effect of two different narratives regarding the 2020 U.S. elections—one signaling democratic decline and the other democratic resilience—on support for anti-democratic principles. We find that exposure to a narrative of the U.S. as a backsliding democracy prompts Israelis to be more supportive of anti-democratic principles at home. We further find marginal evidence that the respondents' ideological preferences condition this effect. Our findings suggest that the democratic backsliding literature has insufficiently explored consequences that extend internationally.

Authors

• Amnon Cavari, Reichman University

• Amichai Magen, Stanford University

• Benjamin Yoel