Democracy in the Eye of the Beholder: A Cross-National Study Examining the Influence of Individualism on Perceptions of Democratic Ideals

Although research shows widespread global support for democracy, research suggests that there are different national perceptions of democracy based on exposure to democracy, political regimes, and national income. However, the research on how national culture affects perceptions and definitions of democracy is limited. A well-studied and defined cultural divide is between collectivist and individualist cultures. Consequently, there is research that explores the differences in how democracy develops and manifests in collectivist and individualist cultures, as well as the correlation between the level of individualism in a country and its national wealth. However, there is a gap in the research on how a culture of individualism in a country affects how its population defines democracy. In this study, I measure the relationship between individualism level in a country and the average response on the essentialness of various attributes of democracy. I find some substantial evidence that countries with higher national individualism scores perceive characteristics of democracy as essential differently than other countries. These results could potentially indicate that culture may play a significant role in formulating ideals and standards in a country that affects definitions and perception of democracy.Bachelor of Art