Authoritarian Attitudinal Legacies, Corruption, and Democratic Satisfaction

Manifestations of authoritarian legacies serve as an indicator of declining democratic legitimacy. However, authoritarian attitudinal legacies seem to persist in stable Asian democracies. To explain this puzzle, we argue that in a certain context, authoritarian attitudes can increase satisfaction with democracy. Furthermore, this relationship is more pronounced where corruption is effectively controlled. In such settings, seemingly illiberal practices can be seen as tools for addressing current problems while minimizing the risk of political leaders misusing public resources. Using data from the Asian Barometer Survey covering 29 country-waves, we find support for this argument: a positive relationship between authoritarian attitudes and satisfaction with democracy. Furthermore, this relationship is stronger in countries with lower levels of corruption.