Does network participation matter for citizens’ assessment of rule of law violations? Theoretical approaches and a survey experiment in a European setting

A growing literature explores citizens’ responses to democratic backsliding and rule of law weakening in the EU (Blauberger at al 2024; Stiansen et al 2024; Wunsch and Gessler 2023). Most existing studies focus on EU-level interactions between institutional actors and member states and their failure to enforcement EU values (e.g. Blauberger and Sedelmeier 2024; Kelemen 2020, 2024; Hernández & Closa, 2024). Yet while the EU may be unwilling or unable to sanction governments that undermine the rule of law, such violations ultimately unfold domestically where citizens are central. Recent work has addressed the role of citizens in backsliding (Wunsch 2025; Wunsch and Gessler 2023), but far less is known about the factors shaping citizens’ willingness to defend the rule of law. This paper addresses this gap by focusing on citizens’ motivations in contexts of rule of law weakening. We develop a theoretical framework that conceptualizes social networks as key features of the context shaping citizens’ political evaluations and behaviour. Prior research highlights the influence of local normative pressures (Mutz 2002) and the role of patronage networks that provide material benefits (North et al. 2009). Building on insights from economics, political science, and social psychology, we theorize how network membership conditions citizens’ perceptions of rule of law erosion. To test these expectations, we field a conjoint survey experiment in six EU member states and two candidate states. The experiment assesses whether and how network participation affects citizens’ prioritization of the rule of law relative to other policy goals, and whether networks can mobilize citizens to act in its defence. Understanding these dynamics has direct implications for the EU, where democratic erosion in member states threatens governance credibility. Our findings can inform EU efforts to strengthen civic resilience and design targeted interventions that leverage networks as defenders of the rule of law.