This joint research project investigates the varying levels of regime support in a number of democracies (full or flawed) across the world, with a specific focus on the sources or origins of regime support as well as the different types of regime support. The following dimensions of regime support have been considered for analysis: diffuse and specific support; the quality of government; political participation; institutional trust or confidence; generalised and interpersonal trust; subjective well-being and happiness; and elite versus mass perspectives.

The research project is being conducted under the auspices of the Centre for International and Comparative Politics (CICP), the research centre of the Department of Political Science at Stellenbosch University in South Africa and the Department of Political Science at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.

Paper 01: The evolution of support for democratic regime principles and its alternatives
Cindy Steenekamp and Pierre du Toit (Stellenbosch University)

Paper 02: The Quality of Government determinants of support for democracy
Frida Boräng, Marina Nistotskaya and Georgios Xezonakis (University of Gothenburg)

Paper 03: Institutions, crisis and political confidence in seven contemporary democracies. An elite-mass analysis
Hennie Kotze and Carlos Garcia-Rivero (Stellenbosch University)

Paper 04: Trust in parliament
Sören Holmberg, Staffan I. Lindberg and Richard Svensson (University of Gothenburg)

Paper 05: Forms of interpersonal trust and types of political participation
Markus M.L. Crepaz and Jonathan Polk (University of Gothenburg)

Paper 06: Trusting other people
Sören Holmberg and Bo Rothstein (University of Gothenburg)

Paper 07: Subjective well-being and quality of government: Why happy citizens are good for democracy
Peter Esaiasson, Stefan Dahlberg and Andrej Kokkonen (University of Gothenburg)

Paper 08: Democracy, wellbeing and happiness
Reinet Loubser and Cindy Steenekamp (Stellenbosch University)​

Centre for International and Comparative Politics
Department of Political Science
Stellenbosch University
Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602
hjk@sun.ac.za or cindylee@sun.ac.za

Department of Political Science
University of Gothenburg
Box 711, 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
staffan.i.lindberg@pol.gu.se or soren.holmberg@pol.gu.se