Sometimes the Grass is Greener on the Other Side : How Terrorism Affects Preference for Democracy
We study how negative signals about states' capacity to provide security, i.e. terrorism, affect preference for democracy. We argue that negative signals affect preference formation differently conditional on how democratic a regime is perceived to be. Using interrupted surveys from several African countries, we show that preference for democracy increases in response to terrorist attacks. This effect is particularly pronounced among individuals who evaluate their state as undemocratic. Individuals who perceive their state as democratic show no adverse reaction towards democracy. The results provide a positive outlook on the resilience of preference for democracy in the face of adversity