Democracy in Europe, its Eastern part and Poland, 2012-2022

(This is an in-person event)

In the last decade, research on the state of democracy in Europe has become more numerous than before, primarily because democracy itself, and its quality in many countries, has deteriorated. The European Social Survey allows for the analysis of many detailed aspects of democracy and its models. Generally, Europeans in 2022 support democracy just as much as they did a decade earlier. However, clear regional differences are evident; while Western Europeans focus on and value almost exclusively the liberal model, Eastern Europeans expect much more from democracy. They value – albeit slightly less – the social democratic, direct, or populist models. Poles stand out among other Eastern Europeans in many respects. They are very demanding towards democracy and at the same time critical of its daily functioning. They value living in a democracy and are simultaneously averse to authoritarian solutions. A detailed comparison of attitudes towards democracy, populist, illiberal, and authoritarian solutions among contemporary Poles and Hungarians will be presented. The differences, especially the changes that have occurred in both societies over the last decade, accurately explain why, in the case of Hungary, we can speak of a consolidated illiberal regime with authoritarian tendencies, and in the case of Poland – not. These data explain why in Poland in 2023, candidates for autocrats were removed from power and why this is not possible in Hungary.