PERCEPTIONS OF DEMOCRACY AND VOTER BEHAVIOURS

Abstract

Are individuals' perceptions of democracy one of the factors that shape voter behaviour? To answer this question, this article studies the possible effects of individuals' perceptions of democracy on the importance they attach to democracy in Turkey, using data from the World Values Survey (2017-2020). The results of the analysis show that the importance of democracy increases as individuals' perceptions of democracy become liberalized and socialized. On the contrary, the rise in the perception of populist and authoritarian democracy reduces the importance of democracy. Therefore, according to the results of the analysis, the answer to the research question is positive. In the discussion section, it is also emphasized that more complex methods and broader perspectives are required to reach the sources of individuals' perceptions of the political sphere. Thus, the possible socio-psychological sources of individuals' perception of democracy are discussed in relation to Turkey.