Political Support from Election Losers in Asian Democracies

Abstract

Democracy entails popular participation through elections, and elections necessarily produce losers as well as winners. Losers' attitudes affect the continued viability of democracy, particularly in countries that only transitioned from authoritarian rule in recent years. Using two waves of the Asian Barometer survey, this study examines the impact of winner/loser status on four dimensions of system support in Japan, Mongolia, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. Results show that although losers have less confidence in political authorities (incumbent government or president) and institutions (parliament) and sometimes express greater dissatisfaction with the functioning of democracy, they are no less committed to democratic norms (including rejection of autocratic regime types) than winners. The magnitude and impact of winner-loser gaps do not vary systematically as a function of the age of democracy or institutional structures; instead, their explanation likely lies in country-specific contexts such as political history.