Are politically engaged citizens more democratic? A glimpse from Brazil
| Published date | 01 June 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/01925121211056578 |
| Author | Camila Mont’Alverne,Diego Moraes,Thaíse Kemer |
| Date | 01 June 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Original Research Articles |
https://doi.org/10.1177/01925121211056578
International Political Science Review
2023, Vol. 44(3) 354 –369
© The Author(s) 2022
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DOI: 10.1177/01925121211056578
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Are politically engaged
citizens more democratic?
A glimpse from Brazil
Camila Mont’Alverne
University of Oxford, UK
Diego Moraes
Thaíse Kemer
Sivis Institute, Brazil
Abstract
A significant part of the Western literature on democracy assumes that political participation leads to
citizens being more committed to democratic values. However, we do not know to what extent this is
true in young democracies with an authoritarian tradition. Hence, this article aims to examine whether
politically engaged Brazilians are more democratic. To do so, we analyzed whether there is any association
between political participation, support for democracy, and democracy relativization through multivariate
regression models. Our database comprises a representative sample of 2417 interviews with the electorate
of São Paulo in 2019. The results show a statistically significant association between unconventional political
participation and support for democracy. General political participation is associated with non-relativization
of democracy only, showing a limited relationship between support for democracy and participation. Other
variables, such as political interest, political knowledge, and interpersonal trust, are also associated with
higher support for democracy.
Keywords
Political participation, support for democracy, local democracy, Brazil, democratization, São Paulo
Introduction
A significant segment of the Western literature on democracy assumes that political participation
leads to citizens being more committed to democratic values (Michels and de Graaf, 2010; Quintelier
and van Deth, 2014; Verba et al., 1995). The argument for civil society engagement in the political
arena usually includes aspects such as: the influence of citizens on the decision-making process;
their inclusion in the policy process; development of their civic skills; deliberation about public
issues; and increasing the legitimacy of decisions (Gastil and Xenos, 2010; Pateman, 1992).
Corresponding author:
Camila Mont’Alverne, University of Oxford, 13 Norham Gardens, Oxford, OX2 6PS, UK.
Email: camila.montalverne@politics.ox.ac.uk
1056578IPS0010.1177/01925121211056578International Political Science ReviewMont’Alverne et al.
research-article2022
Original Research Article
Mont’Alverne et al. 355
The benefits of political participation are frequently taken for granted, the assumption being that
they impact all elements of the democratic political culture, such as increasing political interest or
political knowledge. In fact, there is some evidence that citizens who participate in politics do tend
to develop more civic skills than those who do not (Gimenes and Borba, 2019; Moisés and Carneiro,
2008; Quintelier and van Deth, 2014; Rennó, 2006). At the same time, not all kinds of participation
aim to strengthen democracies, especially in contexts where authoritarian-populist leaders foster a
direct connection with citizens, attempting to undermine the foundations of representative democ-
racy (Mounk, 2018; Norris and Inglehart, 2019). Such leaders probably have higher chances of
being successful if citizens present low appreciation for the regime. This could pose an additional
concern particularly when people who participate in politics do not support democracy, which, in
turn, could strengthen authoritarian movements.
This research intends to fill the gap on the relationship between political participation and the
extent to which citizens express their preferences for democracy as the best political regime.
Articles on this topic usually analyze the relationship between participation and civic skills, but do
not address specifically the support for democracy. Manifesting democratic preferences might
indicate the extent of citizens’ democratic commitment. Although citizens could acquire civic
skills through participation, they might not necessarily embrace democracy. Closely analyzing the
direct linkage between political participation and support for democracy prevents an assumption
that individuals who participate have a stronger preference for democracy.
This article examines whether more politically engaged citizens are also more democratic.
Since democratic values are essential for sustainable democracies, looking directly into how citi-
zens declare their adherence to democracy might reveal to which degree they value it or believe
other regimes could substitute it. We consider the difference between formal and strong support for
democracy, which separates the so-called ‘solid democrats’ – who not only manifest strong support
for democracy but also strongly reject authoritarian forms of government – from ‘lenient’ ones –
who formally support democracy, but are prone to accept its relativization whenever it is conveni-
ent (Fuks et al., 2016; Inglehart and Welzel, 2009). In other words, this research contributes to
unpacking the relationship between political participation and democratic preference, scrutinizing
connections that are not always direct.
Another important consideration is that democracies are more robust when citizens support the
regime (Dalton, 2004), and this is especially the case in places where there is no enduring demo-
cratic tradition (Chu et al., 2020; Doorenspleet, 2012). We investigate the Brazilian case, a coun-
try combining a young democracy with a tradition of authoritarian movements over its history.
Such a tradition might also appear in electoral choices, the degree of respect for democratic pro-
cedures, and deficits in the adherence to a democratic political culture (Baquero, 2003; Moisés,
2008; Santos and Guarnieri, 2016). Therefore, we are able to test if the alleged relationship
between participation and democratic behavior holds in a context where advanced democratic
legislation coexists with a political culture that maintains several elements of authoritarianism.1
Our database comprises a representative sample of 2417 interviews with the electorate of São
Paulo (the largest Latin American city) conducted in 2019, allowing us to evaluate the quality of
local democracy within the most important Brazilian metropolis. Our research is based on an origi-
nal database – unique when compared with other global surveys – looking at how citizens have
daily experiences with institutions and fellow citizens.
There are many experiences across countries concerning collaborative governance, citizens’
advisory committees, and participatory budgeting (Avritzer 2009; Michels and de Graaf, 2010),
with many of them taking place in cities. Thus, examining the phenomenon of local democracy
allows us to understand citizens’ behavior and attitudes toward the political regime.
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