Political scientists have long argued that low levels of citizen support can pose serious problems for democratic systems because both the functioning and the maintenance of democratic politics are intimately linked with what and how citizens think about democratic governance.

This is not only the case for more mature democratic systems; it is equally true for systems undergoing democratic transitions. In fact, questions of popular support for democratic governance are particularly important for emerging democracies because citizen support is of practical and immediate relevance for the continued stability of emerging democratic institutions.

Understanding why democracies differ in their levels of public approval for democratic governance is thus important for theoreticians and policymakers alike.

While a theoretical case can be made for each perspective