Back to Search Start Over

How well ordinary citizens understand democracy: the case of the South Korean electorate.

Authors :
Cho, Youngho
Source :
Democratization; Mar2014, Vol. 21 Issue 2, p195-219, 25p
Publication Year :
2014

Abstract

How do mass citizens understand democracy? Are they capable of distinguishing it from its non-democratic alternatives? Does their understanding about democracy matter? To reveal the contours of cultural democratization in South Korea, this article addresses these questions largely overlooked in earlier survey-based studies. Analyses of the 2010 Korea Barometer survey indicate that all segments of the Korean electorate, including the young and the college-educated, are neither accurately nor fully informed about what distinguishes a democratic regime from its non-democratic alternatives. Moreover, the study provides strong evidence of democratic learning in that an increase in democratic knowledge leads to committed support for democracy. The findings together imply an urgent need to improve the quality of civic education for the development of democratic political culture in Korea and new democracies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
13510347
Volume :
21
Issue :
2
Database :
Complementary Index
Journal :
Democratization
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
94831394
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1080/13510347.2012.734808