
Milan Svolik Asks: Do Voters Really Support Democracy?
From Democracy Paradox by Justin Kempf
March 18, 2026 · 1h 1m · Season 2 · Episode 14
About this episode
Milan Svolik discusses the complexities of voter support for democracy with host Justin Kempf.
We are badly mismeasuring whether and how much people care about democracy. Milan Svolik In this episode of the Democracy Paradox, host Justin Kempf speaks with political scientist Milan Svolik, the Elizabeth S. & A. Varick Stout Professor of Political Science at Yale University and author of The Politics of Authoritarian Rule. Their conversation explores one of the central puzzles in contemporary democracy: why citizens who say they strongly support democracy sometimes vote for politicia...
People in this episode
Host: Justin Kempf
Guest: Milan Svolik
Topics covered
- democracy
- voting behavior
- political science
- citizen support
- authoritarianism
Keywords
- democracy
- voters
- political science
- Milan Svolik
- authoritarian rule
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Yale University
Books & works: The Politics of Authoritarian Rule
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