Trends in Democratic Attitudes: Bolivia 2004-2021

Abstract

After more than a decade of political stability, in 2019 Bolivia suffered a major political crisis that ended with the resignation of a long-standing President, amidst popular unrest after a questioned election. While the crisis was the immediate result of a questionable attempt by the President to skip constitutional term limits, its roots can be found in the declining rates of support and satisfaction with democracy among citizens and in the polarization reaching democratic support. Using survey data from LAPOPs AmericasBarometer, this article finds that national averages for different measures for democratic support show declining trends, and, perhaps more importantly, they also show high levels of polarization, with supporters of the president showing radically different attitudes that those who are critics of the government, particularly during critical times. Cluster analyses performed on the same data indicate that the proportion of individuals who share attitudes that can be considered as “institutionalists” has been declining, while the proportion of those who support extra-powers for the executive and authoritarian alternatives, has increased. The article concludes discussing some risks for Bolivian democracy within its citizens’ attitudes towards democratic institutions.