Possibilities of cosmopolitan democracy through citizens’ eyes

While many would argue that international governance has emerged strengthened in times of crises, citizens’ perspectives on global democracy remain a difficult subject of empirical study. Within the EU context, studies reveal that citizens are increasingly skeptical of EU institutions while at the same time identifying as Europeans normatively, or seeing the necessity of international cooperation practically. Studies around the emergence of a new globalization cleavage differentiate between those who are enthusiastic about and benefit from globalization, and those who feel economically or culturally threatened by it. This paper brings together a range of innovative measurements to disentangle cosmopolitan ideals and concrete political preferences for cosmopolitan democracy of German and US citizens. Using a representative survey, it categorizes different types of (anti-) cosmopolitans, and connects these categories with measures on norms (namely democratic values, justice conceptions and identities) on the one hand, and political preferences (namely process preferences, populism, subjective deprivation and cultural threat) on the other. Using this full range of data reveals not only who is and is not a cosmopolitan citizen (as cleavage theories do), but also points towards why people embrace or reject cosmopolitanism. A particular focus is on understanding whether cosmopolitan views are driven by ideals or analyses: Is a cosmopolitan conviction deeply rooted democratic ideals and values, or based on analyses of personal circumstances and potential benefits? Do cosmopolitans share certain ideals? And do those who support cosmopolitanism normatively also think it is a realistic prospect for the future of democracy? These analyses are relevant for deepening our understanding of how people assess and imagine cosmopolitan democracy, and determining its prospects in their eyes.