Openness to Authoritarian Governance in Two Nascent Democracies: The Cases of Poland and Taiwan
Openness to Authoritarian Governance in Two Nascent Democracies: The Cases of Poland and Taiwan

Summary/Abstract: Democracy is under threat worldwide from authoritarian leaders who reject pluralism and espouse policies that undermine established democratic principles and norms. The election of these politicians is particularly alarming since it shows that a sizeable portion of the population is receptive to authoritarian ways of governance. This study explores which groups are open to authoritarian rule. Guided by the literature, we identify four factors associated with preferences for authoritarian governance: dissatisfaction with the political system, low political trust, cultural conservatism, and political disengagement. We examine the impact of these variables using survey data from Poland and Taiwan, two young democracies that transitioned during the Third Wave. Results reveal that cultural conservatism is the consistent predictor of support for authoritarianism in both countries, irrespective of the regional context. However, the impacts of other variables usually vary, in most cases underscoring the influence of different contextual factors on citizens’ attitudes toward authoritarianism.

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