Democratic Backsliding Fuels a

:Democratic Spring

Executive Power Grab and Support for Democracy

Asif Efrat

Yair Amitai

Amnon Cavari

Reichman University

A Government's attempt to erode democracy may spark domestic opposition. We examine how an intense resistance to democratic backsliding affects support for democracy. We argue that, amid resistance, voters of the opposition express lower approval of the government's antidemocratic policies; by contrast, coalition voters maintain their support for the government's antidemocratic measures. Yet, the sense that democracy is diminishing brings both coalition and opposition voters to express stronger diffuse support for democracy, that is, a stronger preference for democracy over nondemocratic alternatives. We test this argument in Israel, where the 2023 government's efforts to undermine the judiciary resulted in mass protests. We find that the power grab and the ensuing backlash lowered opposition voters' approval for a measure to curb judicial power, while the support of coalition voters remained intact. Both groups of voters, however, came to express stronger democratic support. We conclude that democratic backsliding, if followed by intense resistance, may counterintuitively enhance democratic attitudes. As citizens witness democracy being eroded, their appreciation for the democratic system rises

The data is collected with the assistance of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) as part of the Program on Democratic Resilience (PDRD) at the Lauder School of Government

For Registration https://www.eventer.co.il/research08052025