A Survey Experiment on the Effects of Knowing and Not Knowing for the Evaluation of Democratic Norm Violations

Several studies show that people are willing to ignore politicians violating key democratic principles, even when they claim to support democracy. Some claim that this is because people do not understand what principles are central for democracy. This study will examine whether obtaining knowledge that a government proposal is problematic from a democratic perspective affects the evaluation of this. The basic premise is the suggestion that people are willing to accept democratic transgressions because they believe that most other people are willing to do so. When they are informed that other people think that such measures are undemocratic, they are less likely to support democratic transgressions. But the source of the information is also likely to play a role, since some sources of information are more politized than others. Furthermore, it is likely that the nature of the democratic violation plays a role. Most studies have focused on cases of executive aggrandizement, where leaders seek to cement their own powers by dismantling or weakening the checks and balances, such as the legislature, judiciary, and media. Less emphasis has been put on the violations of democratic and civil rights, although important differences may exist. Some studies suggest that at least some groups in society are more willing to accept transgressions that involve curtailing civic rights, including protection of political and ethnic minorities, rather than central norms of electoral democracy. While people may be less willing to sacrifice core democratic rights, we examine whether there are differences in effects depending on the type of democratic norms that are targeted. Finally, the effect may also differ across groups in society, since those with higher levels of political sophistication are less affected by obtaining information since they should already be aware of the problematic nature of the proposed democratic violations. These research questions are tested in a preregistered survey experiment conducted in Finland (n=2000). By varying the type of democratic norm, and the source of information, we are able to assess the extent to which being told that a proposal is problematic from a democratic perspective affects the evaluation. The data will be collected during spring 2026.