Political context matters: Democratic legacy as a condition of the effects of education on democratic commitment of Latin Americans

Abstract

Education is considered the main factor in explaining political behavior. In studies of legitimacy, education is a strong predictor of support for democracy: the more education, the more democratic the attitudes. However, is this relationship the same everywhere? In this article, using data from Americas Barometer, we show that the effects of education on democratic commitment vary according to the democratic legacy of Latin American countries. Education always has a positive effect on democratic commitment, but in countries with the highest democratic legacy, the effect is even stronger. This article also discusses the implications of these findings for the debate on political legitimacy and democratic consolidation in Latin America.

Keywords

• legitimidad democrática
• apoyo a la democracia
• legado democrático
• compromiso democrático
• educación