democratic values and civic and political participation in the v4 & ukraine michael l. smith,...
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Democratic values and civic and political participation in the
V4 & Ukraine
Michael L. Smith, Ph.D.Institute for Social and Economic
Analyses, Prague
Values and behavior
• Why do we care about democratic consciousness? One of the reasons is that political values can can drive political behavior.
• Democratic attitudes are not only about what people believe, but an impact how they engage civically and politically.
• Other political values, such as postmaterialist values, have been linked to engagement with non-traditional forms of political participation (Inglehart 1990; Dalton 2002); postmaterialism does not simply motivate political participation, but it also embodies the values that postmaterialists strive for.
• My presentation will explore the relationship between democratic attitudes, as well as postmaterialism, on a variety of forms of civic and political participation in Ukraine and the Visegrad states, using the European Values Study (1990, 1999, 2008)
Q1. Would you say that having a democratic political system is a very good, fairly good, fairly bad, or very bad way of governing this country?
(Responses in % in EVS 2008)
Ukraine Czech Rep. Hungary Poland SlovakiaVery good 18.4 30.1 28.8 23.6 25.2Fairly good 53.6 51.4 53.4 62.9 61.9Fairly bad 20.8 13.3 13.6 11.1 10.7Very bad 7.2 5.2 4.2 2.4 2.2
Q2. Democracy may have problems but it’s better than any other form of government (Responses in % in EVS 2008)
Ukraine Czech Rep. Hungary Poland SlovakiaStrongly agree 24.8 31.6 23.8 23.4 28.1
Agree 52.0 52.4 57.2 66.9 61.8Disagree 20.0 13.6 17.0 8.7 8.3Strongly disagree 3.2 2.4 2.0 1.0 1.8
Democracy as very good way of governing this country
Denmark
Cypru
sSp
ain
Austria
France
Armenia
Finland
Kosovo
Montenegro
BelgiumSe
rbia
Portugal
Slove
nia
Moldova
Azerb
aijan
Slova
kia
Belarus
Estonia
Russia
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Democracy as best form of government
Denmark
Greece
Austria
Switzerla
nd
France
Germany
Malta
Netherlands
Finland
Albania
Ireland
Czech
Republic
Romania
Portugal
Belarus
Ukraine
Poland
Lithuania
Latvia
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Correlation coefficients between two democracy variables
Ireland
Finland
Ukraine
Bosnia
Lithuania
Czech
RepublicRussi
a
Montenegro
Netherlands
Luxe
mbourg
N. Ireland
Poland
Slovenia
Hungary
Belgium
Switzerla
nd
Denmark
Cyprus
Kosovo
-0.1
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
Measuring postmaterialism• I construct postmaterialist and materialist dummy variables (both
dichotomous) based on the 4-item questions. – Ref. cat.: mixed values
• Inglehart (1977) himself preferred the 12-item index, but it has been criticized heavily. So, I use the more conventional “4-item index”.
Value orientations by country, 2009 (%)
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%G
. Bri
tain
Ne
the
rla
nd
sF
inla
nd
Sw
ed
en
Be
lgiu
mIta
lyA
zerb
aija
nG
erm
any
Ice
lan
dD
en
ma
rkS
witz
erla
nd
Gre
ece
No
rwa
yF
ran
ceS
love
nia
Au
stri
aL
uxe
mb
ou
rgM
ace
don
iaC
ypru
sC
zech
Arm
en
iaS
pa
inC
roa
tiaH
un
gar
yIr
ela
nd
N. I
rela
nd
Ge
org
iaK
oso
voS
lova
kia
Alb
an
iaL
atv
iaP
ola
nd
Be
laru
sM
onte
ne
gro
Se
rbia
Est
on
iaM
alta
Mol
do
vaL
ithu
an
iaR
om
an
iaB
osn
iaP
ort
ug
al
Bu
lga
ria
Ukr
ain
eR
uss
ia
Postmaterialists Materialists Mixed values
Postmaterialism in the CEE, 1990-2008
1990 1999 20080
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16 Estonia
Latvia
Lithuania
Poland
Czech Repub-lic
Slovakia
Hungary
Romania
Bulgaria
Slovenia
Ukraine
Pe
rce
nt
po
stm
ate
ria
lis
ts
Materialism in the CEE, 1990-2008
1990 1999 20080
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50 Estonia
Latvia
Lithuania
Poland
Czech Repub-lic
Slovakia
Hungary
Romania
Bulgaria
Slovenia
Ukraine
Pe
rce
nt
ma
teri
ali
st
Proportion of postmaterialists by GDP per capita, 2008
Proportion of postmaterialists by level of democracy (Economist Democracy Index), 2008
% Postmaterialists and materialists who have volunteered for a civic organization, EVS 2008
While there are very few Ukrainian “postmaterialists,” those that are are over twice as likely as materialists to engage in civic voluntarism
% Volunteered for civic organization
0102030405060708090
100
Den
mar
kIc
elan
dN
ethe
rland
sN
orw
ayF
inla
ndS
wed
enB
elgi
umS
witz
erla
ndLu
xem
bour
gF
ranc
eN
. Ir
elan
dU
krai
neS
love
nia
Bel
arus
Est
onia
Cro
atia
Irel
and
G.
Brit
ain
Ger
man
yIt
aly
Aus
tria
Cze
chLi
thua
nia
Mol
dova
Mac
edon
iaA
lban
iaS
lova
kia
Gre
ece
Rus
sia
Rom
ania
Bos
nia
Mon
tene
gro
Aze
rbai
jan
Spa
inC
ypru
sS
erbi
aH
unga
ryLa
tvia
Mal
taP
olan
dK
osov
oB
ulga
riaG
eorg
iaP
ortu
gal
Arm
enia
Postmaterialists Materialists
% Postmaterialists and materialists who are members of a civic organization, EVS 2008
The gap between membership in civic organizations between postmaterialists and materialists is largest in Ukraine
% With at least one membership in a civic organization
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Net
herla
nds
Fin
land
Bel
gium
Fra
nce
Luxe
mbo
urg
Nor
way
Est
onia
Irel
and
Slo
veni
aS
witz
erla
ndIc
elan
dA
ustr
iaC
zech
Ger
man
yS
wed
enU
krai
neM
aced
onia
Rom
ania
G.
Brit
ain
Alb
ania
Mol
dova
Slo
vaki
aLa
tvia
N.
Irel
and
Gre
ece
Cro
atia
Aze
rbai
jan
Cyp
rus
Bel
arus
Mal
taLi
thua
nia
Hun
gary
Bos
nia
Ser
bia
Spa
inP
olan
dR
ussi
aM
onte
negr
oB
ulga
riaP
ortu
gal
Kos
ovo
Arm
enia
Geo
rgia
Postmaterialists Materialists
% Postmaterialists and materialists who have participated in a lawful demonstration
0102030405060708090
100
Fran
ceIta
lyD
enm
ark
Luxe
mbo
urg
Nor
way
Icel
and
Geo
rgia
Sw
eden
Ger
man
yS
pain
Bel
gium
Gre
ece
Net
herla
nds
Irela
ndA
ustri
aC
ypru
sK
osov
oU
krai
neS
witz
erla
ndFi
nlan
dLa
tvia
Bel
arus
Por
tuga
lG
. B
ritai
nM
alta
Arm
enia
Mac
edon
iaM
onte
negr
oN
. Ire
land
Slo
veni
aC
zech
Rep
ublic
Ser
bia
Pol
and
Slo
vaki
aE
ston
iaA
lban
iaH
unga
ryM
oldo
vaC
roat
iaLi
thua
nia
Rom
ania
Bos
nia
Bul
garia
Aze
rbai
jan
Rus
sia
Postmaterialists Materialists
% Postmaterialists and materialists who have engaged in at least one form of political participation
Since some forms of political participation (e.g. boycotting) are quite rare in the CEE, the data was recoded into a dummy variable indicating whether the respondent participated in at least one form of political participation)
0102030405060708090
100
Sw
eden
Fra
nce
Nor
way
Den
mar
kS
witz
erla
ndIt
aly
Icel
and
Fin
land
Luxe
mbo
urg
Aus
tria
G.
Brit
ain
Bel
gium
Ger
man
yN
ethe
rland
sIr
elan
dS
lova
kia
Spa
inK
osov
oA
zerb
aija
nC
roat
iaC
zech
Rep
ublic
Mal
taS
love
nia
N.
Irel
and
Geo
rgia
Gre
ece
Mac
edon
iaLa
tvia
Por
tuga
lM
onte
negr
oC
ypru
sE
ston
iaP
olan
dU
krai
neS
erbi
aA
rmen
iaA
lban
iaB
elar
usB
osni
aH
unga
ryB
ulga
riaM
oldo
vaLi
thua
nia
Rom
ania
Rus
sia
Postmaterialists Materialists
Explaining civic volunteerism in the CEE(odds ratios and significance levels for logistic regression model using
explanatory variables shown)
Ukraine Czech Rep. Hungary Poland Slovakia
Democracy best for country
1.246 1.006 1.115 1.146 1.110
Postmaterialism 4.698*** 1.328 1.159 1.393 1.469
Materialism 1.021 1.108 .797 .617* .578*
Trust 1.260 .929 1.233 2.154*** 2.172**
College 2.034** 1.499* 2.275*** 1.557 1.682*
Female 1.298 .782* .903 .857 .692*
Age .990 .999 .995 1.010 1.000
Constant .048 .402** .103*** .033*** .122***
Nagel. R2 .058 .014 .043 .048 .059
Explaining civic memberships in the CEE(odds ratios and significance levels for logistic regression model using
explanatory variables shown)
Ukraine Czech Rep. Hungary Poland Slovakia
Democracy best for country
1.212* .978 1.222* 1.099 1.227
Postmaterialism 6.070*** 1.246 .975 1.043 1.254
Materialism 1.092 1.015 .763 .649* .803
Trust 1.070 .853 1.104 1.420* 1.683**
College 2.242*** 1.383* 1.936*** 1.428* 1.597*
Female 1.161 .820 .907 .614** .719*
Age .985 .998 .994 1.013** .996
Constant .206*** .958 .170*** .099*** .258***
Nagel. R2 .092 .012 .041 .039 .044
Explaining political engagement in the CEE(odds ratios and significance levels for logistic regression model using
explanatory variables shown)
Ukraine Czech Rep. Hungary Poland Slovakia
Democracy best for country
1.086 1.676*** 1.130 1.195 1.503***
Postmaterialism 1.883 1.879*** 1.299 1.528 2.234***
Materialism .809 .877 .490*** .821 .857
Trust 1.105 1.036 .952 1.087 1.193
College 1.787*** 1.894*** 1.495* 1.449* 1.747**
Female .719* .773* .957 .634** 1.057
Age 1.007 .995 .995 1.005 .990*
Constant .164*** .139*** .194*** .191*** .262***
Nagel. R2 .036 .100 .042 .035 .082
Conclusions• Democratic attitudes do contribute to civic and political
engagement, but depends on how to define those attitudes– Postmaterialism explains civic and political engagement better than more
explicit questions on democratic attitudes– Respondents have to make priorities of their values
• Democratic attitudes can also impact voter behavior (specific candidates/parties) but that cannot be examined here
• What else matters?– Education is a major predictor of civic an political engagement in the
Visegrad states and Ukraine– Trust matters, though not by much, and only in Poland and Slovakia
• Ultimately, there is a disconnect between democratic values and what we might see as healthy democratic behavior. The latter has a myriad of possible causes, which means promoting democratic behavior means focusing much more on grassroots democracy.