Causes and Consequences of Citizens’ Perceptions of Local Democracy: Findings from a Survey in Different German Cities in 2021

Building on the seminal work by Easton (1957), research on the state of legitimacy beliefs in democratic societies has consistently found that support for the more general objects such as regime principles (e.g. democratic norms and values) and even for regime performance (i.e. how democracy works in the country) remains unwavering (van Ham et al. 2017; Norris 2011; Kneip, Merkel, and Weßels 2020). In contrast, the assessment of the everyday reality of democratic systems is more negative, illustrated for example by low levels of trust in democratic institutions such as the parliament, and low satisfaction with the performance of political authorities such as the government. While most of the research has focused on assessing the state of public support for national level objects, knowledge of what citizens expect from local democracy and how they assess its state in relation to country as a whole remains scarce (see Vetter 2013 for a notable exception). This is despite the fact, that local democracy is of particular relevance for wider public support. So are local and national democracy evaluations correlated (Vetter 2013, 379; 2002, 612) and it is plausible to assume spill-over effects from local evaluations to more general perceptions of the political system, supporting the notion that local experiences can act as a “school of democracy” (van Deth and Tausendpfund 2013). This is true in particular as it is on the local level where the public is most directly confronted with the consequences of political decisions, as has become particularly apparent during the Corona-pandemic. Therefore, we aim to contribute to our understanding of the structure of public support of local democracy, its causes and consequences. Based on representative survey data collected in (districts of) four German cities (Hamburg-Altona, Marburg, Offenburg & Wuppertal-Heckinghausen) in 2021 we aim to answer the following research questions: 1. First, what are similarities and differences in citizens perceptions of local and national political objects? In answering this question, we also show how national and local democracy evaluations relate to one another. 2. Second, what are the antecedents of (in particular local) political support? We consider both individual-level as well as contextual factors. On the individual level, apart from standard predictors such as socio-economic resources or political efficacy, we also account for the influence of individuals’ understanding of democracy and test how individuals’ preferences for different forms of local decision-making influence evaluations of local institutions and actors. In relation to the context, we investigate the relevance of the respective city in which citizens live and how citizens subjectively assess the impact of the Corona pandemic on their satisfaction with local and national political authorities. 3. Finally, what are the consequences of political support? Here we focus on how these assessments relate to different levels and structures of political participation. In sum, we aim to provide a better understanding of the state of legitimacy beliefs in local democracy as well as its causes and consequences at a point in time in which democracies have faced severe challenges.