Democracy at Risk: How Terrorist Threats Affect the Public
Jennifer L. Merolla and Elizabeth J. Zechmeister
Abstract
How do threats of terrorism affect the opinions of citizens? Speculation abounds, but until now no one had marshaled hard evidence to explain the complexities of this relationship. Drawing on data from surveys and original experiments conducted in the United States and Mexico, this book shows how our strategies for coping with terrorist threats significantly influence our attitudes toward fellow citizens, political leaders, and foreign nations. It reveals, for example, that some people try to restore a sense of order and control through increased wariness of others — especially of those who ex ... More
How do threats of terrorism affect the opinions of citizens? Speculation abounds, but until now no one had marshaled hard evidence to explain the complexities of this relationship. Drawing on data from surveys and original experiments conducted in the United States and Mexico, this book shows how our strategies for coping with terrorist threats significantly influence our attitudes toward fellow citizens, political leaders, and foreign nations. It reveals, for example, that some people try to restore a sense of order and control through increased wariness of others — especially of those who exist outside the societal mainstream. Additionally, voters under threat tend to prize “strong leadership” more highly than partisan affiliation, making some politicians seem more charismatic than they otherwise would. The book argues that a wary public will sometimes continue to empower such leaders after they have been elected, giving them greater authority even at the expense of institutional checks and balances. Having demonstrated that a climate of terrorist threat also increases support for restrictive laws at home and engagement against terrorists abroad, the book concludes that our responses to such threats can put democracy at risk.
Keywords:
democracy,
terrorist threats,
United States,
Mexico,
leadership,
politicians,
public,
restrictive laws,
terrorists
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2009 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780226520544 |
| Published to Chicago Scholarship Online: March 2013 |
DOI:10.7208/chicago/9780226520568.001.0001 |
Authors
Affiliations are at time of print publication.
Jennifer L. Merolla, author
Elizabeth J. Zechmeister, author
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