2022-23 Abstract: Public Responses to Democratic Erosion in the United States, Mexico, and Turkey 

The concept of “democratic erosion” has come to the fore in recent years, as leaders around the world have come to office by winning free and fair elections and, once in office, weaken democratic institutions, such as the press, courts, and election-administration bodies.  

These aspiring autocrats also benefit when they disparage their political systems. By making people believe that democracy is neither strong nor helpful for the general public, then it’s easier for them to, say, claim that elections are rigged even when they are not. But when aspiring autocrats trash-talk their democracies, how do we know that they succeed?