Experience of Discrimination and Democratic Engagement

ABSTRACT What effect does discrimination have on democratic engagement? Based on a survey of 3,099 people in Chile, 1,493 of whom identified themselves as ‘Mapuche’—the main ethnic group in the country—the author distinguishes between everyday discrimination (ED), and experiences of discrimination in formal or institutional contexts (FD). The author concludes, first, that ED—more so than FD—has a negative impact on both Mapuche’ and non-Mapuche’ trust in institutions, but that this effect is more pronounced in Mapuche, especially in the case of law enforcement institutions. Second, that increases in ED are associated with higher levels of political identification—especially in the Mapuche group—but that increases in FD have the reverse effect. Third, that increases in ED—more so than increases in FD—are associated with a greater justification of the use of force as a mechanism for resolving conflicts, especially in the Mapuche group. These findings concur only partially with theories on discrimination and political behaviour applied to European countries and the United States.