Democracy Under Strain: Declining Public Support, Institutional Weakening, and Press Freedom in Costa Rica

Abstract

Costa Rica has been one of the most stable democracies in Latin America since 1953. However, the 2022 election gave rise to a populist leadership combining confrontational tactics, attacks on institutions, and pressure on press freedom. While previous studies document democratic backsliding across Latin America, Costa Rica’s case remains understudied. This article proposes the concept of “democracy under strain,” a condition distinct from backsliding, in which systematic executive pressure on democratic conditions coexists with institutional resilience. Drawing on Bermeo’s (2016) framework, I operationalize this concept through three indicators: decline of press freedom, institutional delegitimization, and decreasing citizen support for democracy. Using a mixed-methods strategy and combining Latin American Public Opinion Proyect survey data, press freedom indexes, and journalistic reports, the evidence shows that institutions remain formally intact and citizen disapproval of anti-press aggression is high, yet pressure is sustained and without historical precedent.