The democratic paradox: are national elections always good for satisfaction with democracy in Europe?

This article examines how national elections affect citizens' satisfaction with democracy in 29 European democracies from 1973 to 2019, emphasizing the role of the "election economy," defined as the economic performance during the election year. It finds that elections held during economic upturns lead to enduring increases in democratic satisfaction throughout most of the subsequent electoral term, while elections during economic downturns result in lasting decreases in satisfaction, independent of election outcomes or post-election economic growth. These effects persist even after controlling for pre-election satisfaction trends, election results, and other contextual factors, suggesting that citizens’ evaluations of democracy formed during elections are strongly influenced by the economic context and remain stable until the next election. The study challenges the assumption that national elections uniformly enhance democratic satisfaction, highlighting the conditional and lasting impact of economic conditions on public democratic sentiments.