Not Just Being A Winner: Competitiveness in Elections and Satisfaction with Democracy.

This paper argues that characteristics of elections, such as the level of competitiveness, affect satisfaction with democracy. This explanation is tested against the predominant explanation in the literature, emphasizing the receipt of desired outcomes such as having one's preferred party or candidate elected. In addition to testing the competing processes v. outcomes explanations, I also explore how competitiveness affects satisfaction. The level of competitiveness may only matter for those people not receiving their desired electoral outcome, or may depend upon the democratic context. The paper shows that in addition to having one's preferred party elected, the level of competition also matters. Additionally, the level of competition has a negative effect so that small margins of victory decrease satisfaction with democracy. Finally, the level of competitiveness has a more pronounced effect in semi-democracies than in established democracies. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]