Support for Democracy and Apartisanship in Latin America: a Multidimensional Analysis

Abstract

Given the distinct context of the contemporary development of voters’ relationships with political parties in consolidated regimes and new democracies, this article aims to advance in the identification of predictors for democracy support in Latin America. We use hierarchical models that incorporate structural and individual level variables for the explanation of the phenomenon, with emphasis on the profiles of voters who consider their cognitive and political sophistication. Therefore, we constructed models that token into account the apartisanship thesis and the relevance of individual cognitive mobilization, as well as the national experience derived from the democratic legacy. Our results allow us to infer, on the one hand, that the cognitive refinement of the voters is more relevant than the partisanship for the support that they manifest about the different dimension of democracy. On the other hand, the quality and the persistence of the regime have impacts only in some dimensions of democracy.

Keywords

• partidarismo
• adesão à democracia
• mobilização cognitiva
• américa latina.