More Progressive but Also Authoritarian? How to Make Sense of Value Changes in Late-Modern Democracies

This paper sets out to address an important puzzle omnipresent in debates about the current state of democracy and citizen participation as well as in recent election results in Europe: That, on the one hand, studies and surveys show continuous and even growing trust and approval of democracy and democratic values. Citizens, and especially younger generations in most European societies are becoming more progressive when it comes to democracy, climate politics, migration, and gender roles. Also, they show increasing trust and optimism when it comes to their personal economic outlook (Cannas, Dressler et al. 2022; Shell/Albert et al. 2024). However, on the other hand, studies and surveys also point to increasing support of right-wing attitudes and are diagnosing a shift to authoritarianism and diminishing trust in established democratic institutions (Quent/RIOET 2024; Decker et al. 2024). They find increasing rejection of the very same climate politics (or subsequent social-ecological transformations), migration, progressive gender roles, or established ideas of democratic representation and civic engagement. Both trends seem contradictory and lead to very different impressions of societal development. Beyond a discussion of possible measurement errors or methodological shortcomings, we suggest making use of several social theory approaches to shed light on the simultaneousness of increasing progressive and authoritarian attitudes. After revisiting the empirical picture of contemporary citizens’ attitudes, hopes, and expectations, we employ approaches that suggest a liquid modernization and a deeply remoulded role of the individual citizen within democracy. Understandings of democratic representation and established mechanisms of citizen participation have changed, which much higher pressures felt by individuals to reproduce their (political) identities. Consequently, notwithstanding increasing progressive values and stances, their transmission into political behavior works differently than we have come to expect in the past. In contrast, desires for belonging and protection from social complexity have made new and provisional boundaries even more necessary – which authoritarian offerings seem to cater to. As a result, in the contemporary, the ways in which attitudes and values inform political behavior, engagement, and participation are changing – and democracy research needs to consider that previous assumptions need to be readjusted.