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Conceptions of Democracy Among Mass and Elite in Post-Soviet Societies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 April 1997

ARTHUR H. MILLER ,
VICKI L. HESLI  and
WILLIAM M. REISINGER
ARTHUR H. MILLER
Affiliation:
Social Science Institute, The University of Iowa
VICKI L. HESLI
Affiliation:
Social Science Institute, The University of Iowa
WILLIAM M. REISINGER
Affiliation:
Social Science Institute, The University of Iowa
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Abstract

What do citizens and political leaders have in mind when they think about democracy? This article deals with the relationship between different conceptions of democracy and the level of supportfor democracy among both ordinary citizens and political elites in two post-Soviet countries,Russia and Ukraine.

Data collected through personal interviews in 1992 and 1995 reveal that the mass and elite inthese post-socialist countries hold different conceptions of democracy. The elite tend to emphasize law and order and the rule of law, whereas the citizens stress freedoms in their understanding of democracy. Involvement in politics, especially in a political party, has a significant influence on the meaning of democracy as well as on the consistency among attitudes reflecting support for democratic principles. Different conceptions of democracy are also found to affect the perceived extent to which the current regime fits with the individual's idea of what a democracy should be like.

Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Political Science , Volume 27 , Issue 2 , April 1997 , pp. 157 - 190
Copyright
© 1997 Cambridge University Press

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