Support for democracy and meanings of democracy : equality and freedom

The study deals with the micro-level factors behind the perceived legitimacy of the democratic political system. Following Lipset, we searched for evidence of evaluative support for democracy when understood as representing certain procedures and institutions, compared with the equally important and widespread support base which understands democracy in terms of egalitarian values. Using recent data from a survey of Slovenian public opinion carried out in 2011 we confirmed that support for democracy per se is largely dependent on the former "liberal" or procedural understanding, while the support it derives from those with egalitarian priorities is more ambivalent. The consequences are discussed for the prospects of resolving the conflict surrounding current cuts in social benefits spending.