Pathologies of Democratic Frustration: Voters and Elections Between Desire and Dissatisfaction

Description

At a time of widespread disillusion, citizens keep telling us how “frustrated” they feel with their democracies. However, whilst scholars and commentators alike have heard that complain millions of times, we may not have taken it as seriously as we should. The author takes the concept of democratic frustration literally and puts it under an unprecedented analytical and empirical microscope. She applies insights from the psychology and political science literatures and uses a mixture of panel studies, surveys, interviews, and experiments to understand its sources, nature, dimensions, and consequences. The book sheds unprecedented light on pathologies of democratic frustration in the US, UK, Australia, and South Africa with a double focus on the general population, and on young people. Doing so, it reveals new thought-provoking insights on the true nature of contemporary democratic crises, and not least on how citizens’ actual desire for democracy uniquely shapes their dissatisfaction.    Acknowledgments Contents List of Figures List of Tables 1 Anatomy of Democratic Frustration What Is Pathologies of Democratic Frustration About? Paradoxes of Democratic Crises The Psychological Concept of Frustration Mapping Democratic Frustration vis-à-vis Other Models of Democratic Crises Dimensions of Democratic Frustration Modelling Democratic Frustration at the Individual Level: Socio-Demographic, Psychological, Political, and Electoral Psychology Determinants Social and Demographic Components Psychological Predictors Political Predictors Electoral Psychology Predictors Modelling Systemic Level Determinants of Democratic Frustration Withdrawal, Anger, and Aggression—A Model of the Behavioural Consequences of Democratic Frustration From Hopelessness to Hostility: Mapping the Potential Attitudinal Consequences of Democratic Frustration Psychological Models of the Evolution of Frustration Diagnosing Frustration Frustration and the First Vote Democratic Frustration, Guilt, and Self-Blame Cycles of Frustration and of Democratic Frustration Therapeutics of Frustration How Can We Explain the Determinants, Dynamics, and Consequences of Democratic Frustration? References 2 Models and Operationalisation of Democratic Frustration Democratic Frustration and Other Standards-Delivery Gap Combinations The Challenge of Operationalising Democratic Frustration and Measuring Its Components and Dimensions Overall Research Design Architecture The Narrative Nature of Democratic Frustration: Two Sets of Qualitative Measures Spontaneous Open-Ended Evocations of Frustration from Large Representative Samples of Citizens Exploring the Discourse of Democratic Frustration: In-depth Interviews Quantitative Approaches A Comparable Index of Democratic Frustration: Survey Measures Additional Survey Components Unravelling the Cycle of Frustration—An Experiment Additional Panel Study Survey Case Selection Risks and Advantages of Pilot Research Measurement References 3 Nature of Democratic Frustration: Democratic Desire, Standards, and Perceived Delivery in Action Approaching the Nature of Frustration Dimensions of Democratic Frustration: An Empirical Analysis Mapping Democratic Desire Mapping the Democratic Delivery Gap Mapping Democratic Frustration as an Interactive Object Analytical Categories Spontaneous Narratives of Dimensions of Frustration The Nature of Democratic Frustration—How Is It Experienced? Democratic Frustration and Emotions Perceptions of Democratic Frustration in Self and Others Democratic Frustration in Intimate Circles—Discussing and Cultivating Frustration with Family and Friends Managing Frustration—Expectations and Resolution Democratic Frustration: Complex, Emotional, and Disruptive Nature of Widely Acknowledged Phenomenon References 4 Dynamics of Democratic Frustration: An Asymmetric Bottomless Well Dynamics of Democratic Frustration An Experiment on the Nature of Democratic Frustration Experimental Results The Test of Time‒How Stable Is Democratic Frustration? Components of Democratic Frustration: A Tale of Aggregate Level Stability and Limited Individual Level Variations Using Panel Data to Unravel the Dynamics of the Relationship Between Frustration Components Are Frustration Tunnels Lightless? Breaking the Vicious Circle: Principles and Options Addressing the Displacement-Frustration-Pathologies Triangle? References 5 Determinants of Democratic Frustration: Socio-Demographic, Psychological, Behavioural, and Electoral Psychology Factors Dissecting Determinants of Democratic Frustration—Individual and Combined Components and Types of Predictors Determinants of Democratic Desire Social and Demographic Determinants Political Determinants Electoral Psychology Predictors Psychological Determinants Multivariate Model of Democratic Desire Determinants of the Democratic Delivery Gap Social and Demographic Determinants Political and Electoral Psychology Determinants Psychological Determinants Multivariate Models of the Democratic Delivery Gap The Desire-Delivery Gap Interaction: Capturing the Causes of Democratic Frustration Socio-Demographic Determinants Political Determinants Electoral Psychology Determinants Psychological Determinants Multivariate Analysis Qualitative Illustrations Democratic Frustration—Unique Determinants for a Unique Logic Reference 6 Emergence of Democratic Frustration: The Case of First-Time Voters What’s so Special About First-Time Voters? Age and the Frustration Cycle Approach Are First-Time Voters More or Less Democratically Frustrated Than the Rest of the Population? Determinants of Democratic Frustration Among First-Time Voters Behavioural Consequences of Democratic Frustration Among First-Time Voters Attitudinal Consequences of Democratic Frustration Among First-Time Voters Cycle of Bitterness Unearthing the Initial Seed of Frustration: Findings from the In-Depth Narrative Interviews First Memories of Frustration A Sometimes Anti-climactic First Vote Unravelling the Cycle of Democratic Frustration in First-Time Voters’ Own Words Democratic Frustration and Life Cycle—Generational Divides Paradoxes of Cycles of Frustration References 7 Behavioural and Attitudinal Consequences of Democratic Frustration: The Withdrawal, Anger, and Aggression Model Why Could Democratic Frustration Matter? Typology of Potential Consequences Behavioural Consequences of Democratic Frustration How Widespread Are the Behavioural Consequences of Democratic Frustration? The Impact of Dimensions of Democratic Frustration on Withdrawal, Anger, and Aggression: Multivariate Analysis Narratives of the Behavioural Consequences of Democratic Frustration From Behavioural to Attitudinal Consequences Democratic Frustration and the Atmosphere of Elections Democratic Frustration and Hopelessness Democratic Frustration and Electoral Hostility Democratic Frustration and Compliance Everyday Attitudinal Consequences of Democratic Frustration—qualitative Evidence Conclusion: The Threat of an Ever-More-Consequential Democratic Frustration References 8 Contextualising Democratic Frustration: Unravelling Narratives of Citizens’ Frustration in the US, UK, Australia, and South Africa Societal Expressions of Democratic Frustration Split at Its Heart: Mutual Frustrations in Brexit Britain Historical Setting Prima Facie Democratic Frustration Among Leavers Prima Facie Democratic Frustration Among Remainers Interpretation of Frustration Contexts A Wall of Frustration Across America: Mutual Frustration in Trump America Historical Setting Narratives of Partisan Frustration Frustratingly Caught in the Middle Interpretation of Frustration Contexts Democratisation, Corruption, and Frustration in South Africa Historical Setting Expressions of Popular Frustration Interpretation of Frustration Contexts Protection and Restrictions at the End of the World? Democratic Frustration in Australia in the Age of the Coronavirus Expressions of Popular Frustration Interpretation of Frustration Conclusion References 9 Conclusions The Bottomless Well of Democratic Frustration Pathologies of Unhappiness What Makes Democratic Frustration so Different from Democratic Dissatisfaction? What Does Democratic Frustration Tell Us About Democratic Crises and the Future of Democracies? A Very Consequential Frustration—and Relatively Inconsequential Ideological Gap The Emergence, Causes, and Cycle of Democratic Frustration Democratic Frustration in the Age of COVID-19 Do Current Paths Towards Democratic Improvement Miss the Plot of Democratic Frustration?—the Example of the EU Can Democratic Frustration Ever Be Remedied? References Appendices Appendix 1: Extra Tables Exploring Democratic Frustration—Interview Structure & Themes The Concept Structure of Interview Semi-Structured Interviews on Democratic Frustration Principles: Protocol Other potential questions: Other potential questions: Other potential questions: Other potential questions: Other potential questions: Other possible questions Exploring Democratic Frustration: Information Briefing Sheet Exploring Democratic Frustration: Informed Consent Form Exploring Democratic Frustration: First-Time Voters FTV ONE-TO-ONE INTERVIEW Survey Questions: Democratic Frustration Bibliography Index