This study asks whether citizens in consolidated European democracies have become less supportive of democracy and whether any decline is widespread or concentrated in specific age groups or countries. Using new cross‑national survey evidence from 18 European countries (1981–2018), the authors disentangle age, cohort and period effects and report results from pre‑registered analyses to reduce selective reporting. The paper documents continued overall endorsement of self‑governance, while identifying country‑specific signs that some younger cohorts express weaker forms of democratic support.
Data and methods
The analysis relies on newly compiled cross‑national survey data covering 18 European countries between 1981 and 2018. The authors explicitly separate age, cohort and period effects to align empirical strategy with theoretical claims and follow a pre‑registered analysis plan to transparently report all results.
Main findings
Across the pooled sample, citizens of consolidated democracies continue to endorse self‑governance. However, the authors find evidence in some—but not all—countries of increasing numbers of what they term “democrats in name only,” with that pattern appearing particularly among younger cohorts. The paper emphasizes variation across countries and cohorts rather than a uniform continental decline.
Interpretation and contribution
By combining broad temporal coverage, cohort analysis and pre‑registration, the study reframes debates about "democratic fatigue" toward a more nuanced, multi‑faceted view that highlights heterogeneity by country and generation.
New cross‑national survey evidence
Age–cohort–period decomposition
Pre‑registered analyses
Heterogeneous country and cohort patterns
