Social media, quality of democracy, and citizen satisfaction with democracy in central and eastern Europe

Abstract

ABSTRACT The last decade has been tumultuous for democracy in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). While the beginning of the 21st century saw many post-communist countries in the region democratize and become full members of the European Union, the last 10 years have been wrought with stagnation and democratic backsliding. By the 2020s, some of the strongest democratizers in the region had experienced significant issues. This study attempts to answer two questions related to whether social media users’ satisfaction with democracy relies on a country’s quality of democracy. The first question explores this relationship in the overall context of democracy, while the second examines the relationship with democratic backsliding. The findings show that social media use correlates with higher satisfaction with democracy when their country’s democracy is more robust. Furthermore, as backsliding occurs, social media use is correlated with lower satisfaction with democracy.