Corruption hits support for democracy in Eastern Europe

Eastern Europeans’ faith in democracy has declined and German researchers think they know the reason why — corruption.

A study by the German Economic Institute, a Cologne-based think tank, noted that support for democracy generally grows the longer people live under such a system. But, the study said, surveys show support for democracy has fallen in ex-communist Eastern European countries since 2006.

To explain the difference, the researchers cited data showing that the extent of corruption in Eastern Europe almost doubled over the same period.

“The increased experiences of corruption in these states undermine the support for democracy,” they said in their report. “Only in the absence of corruption can the experience of democracy have its full effect on pro-democratic attitudes.”

The data analyzed by the researchers does not always back up their case. Latvia, for example, scored low in terms of corruption but also low in terms of support for democracy.

But figures for multiple other Eastern European countries appear to support their hypothesis. Bulgarians, for example, report both a high level of corruption and relatively low support for democracy.