Socialization and Political Regimes: the Impact of Generation on Support for Democracy in Latin America

Abstract

Studies on democratic attitudes in Latin America indicate that older citizens are more likely to express a preference for democracy. This contradicts part of the literature, which suggests that the greatest support should come from younger generations, who were socialized under democratic regimes. One possible explanation for the greater support for democracy among the older generation is that they experienced the repression of political and civil rights under authoritarian rule, thus creating an aversion to such regimes. In this article, we replicate tests conducted by other studies in evaluating the effect of generation on support for democracy, using data from the 2012 Americas Barometer. In addition, we add a new factor to the analysis: the country's authoritarian legacy, measured as to the duration and intensity with which individual and political rights were curtailed in the past. The results show a complex picture. First, they confirm that the generations that have lived under authoritarian regimes are more likely to support democracy. However, we find no evidence of an increase in the difference in support between generations in countries where the authoritarian legacy is stronger. Finally, the data indicate that countries with stronger authoritarian legacies exhibit less support for democracy, while stronger democratic legacies have the opposite effect.

Are politically engaged citizens more democratic? A glimpse from Brazil

“…Contrary to the argument that younger generations are more supportive of democracy (Moreno and Lagos, 2016), our results show that older people tend to prefer a democratic regime. This is likely because they have experienced political and civil rights repression under authoritarian rule, creating an aversion to autocracies (Fuks et al, 2018). More than that, it is possible that exercising participation over the years has also contributed to fostering more democratic citizens.…”

“…Nonetheless, we must also consider that, in Brazil, there is an age gap between generations that have lived under authoritarian regimes and those who were socialized only under democracy, with the former more clearly rejecting autocracies (Fuks et al, 2018). Evidence shows that in countries where a stronger democratic legacy exists, with freedom and no constraints on political participation, there is more support for democracy (Denemark et al, 2016).…”

Generational Dynamics, Social Positions and Political Behavior

“…In the analysis of the national bibliography, it is important to highlight that, especially in the area of Education studies, there is still a research gap that deals more specifically and in detail with the role of intergenerational transmission and inheritance processes in the formation and transformation of political behaviors of individuals and groups. However, important studies, mostly quantitative and in the field of Political Sciences, shed light on a series of correlations between the political behaviors of the Brazilian population, with emphasis on electoral behavior, and different dimensions of social position, such as income, education, sex, age, level of information and generational effects (ROCHA, 2018;BORBA, 2019;PAULINO;SILVA, 2019). It is also worth noting that, in the last decade, research on political behavior in Brazil was strongly marked by the discussion around the effects of the reduction of inequalities and poverty, as well as the emergence and weakening of "Lulism" 5 , related, among other factors, to the rise of "antipetismo" (diffuse movement, present in different sectors of society, contrary to the Workers' Party of Brazil).…”

Dinâmica Geracional, Posições Sociais E Comportamento Político

“…Na análise da bibliografia nacional, é importante destacar que, especialmente na área de estudos da Educação, ainda há uma lacuna de pesquisas que tratem de modo mais específico e detalhado do papel dos processos de transmissão e herança intergeracionais na formação e na transformação dos comportamentos políticos de indivíduos e grupo. No entanto, importantes estudos, majoritariamente quantitativos e do campo das Ciências Políticas, lançam luz sobre uma série de correlações entre os comportamentos políticos da população brasileira, com destaque para o comportamento eleitoral, e diferentes dimensões da posição social, tais como renda, escolaridade, sexo, idade, nível de informação e efeitos geracionais (ROCHA, 2018;BORBA, 2019;PAULINO;SILVA, 2019). Vale ainda destacar que, na última década, as pesquisas sobre comportamento político no Brasil foram fortemente marcadas pela discussão em torno dos efeitos da diminuição das desigualdades e da pobreza, bem como do surgimento e do enfraquecimento do lulismo 5 , relacionado, entre outros fatores, ao ascenso do antipetismo (SAMUELS, 2004;TERRON;SOARES, 2010;VIDIGAL, 2018;RIBEIRO, 2011;RIBEIRO;CARREIRÃO;BORBA, 2016).…”