More popular than party politicians: Individual-level determinants of public opinion on presidents in European semi-presidential regimes

Presidents are often more popular than prime ministers and people seem to trust the president more than they trust other political institutions. In the context of semi-presidential regimes, it has been argued that it might be related to their weaker constitutional powers and role above party politics. It is plausible that the role of the president as the ‘guardian of national unity’ makes people to evaluate presidents differently from other political institutions. It is also a matter of specific versus diffuse support, the classical distinction of political trust. While many contextual factors such as the economy, international events, or political scandals may explain the level of trust in president, citizens’ political attitudes, values, or socioeconomic background should also be considered. Relying on cross-sectional public opinion surveys and election studies from select European semi-presidential countries, this paper examines the impact of various individual-level factors on public opinion on presidents in relation to other political institutions. Especially compared with trust in the government, I expect party identification and certain political attitudes to matter less, and to find support for the president broadly from different socioeconomic groups. At the same time, respondents’ age should impact the level of trust in president.