An Electorate Adrift?: Public Opinion and the Quality of Democracy in Mexico

James A. McCann, Chappell H. Lawson
2003 Latin American Research Review  
When citizens lack stable political attitudes, leaders cannot easily be held accountable for their record in office, party system consolidation becomes more difficult, and public opinion is unable to offer much substantive guidance about policy-making. Ultimately, the quality of democratic governance is likely to suffer. In this article, we exploit a recent four-wave panel survey to assess the stability of political attitudes in Mexico. We find that the degree of stability varies across
more » ... t types of dispositions. Although citizens hold reasonably firm views about the country's main political actors, preferences over issues are less consistent. These findings suggest both possibilities and constraints for democratic governance in Mexico.
doi:10.1353/lar.2003.0039 fatcat:tdxvj4ef6jcnvh4ulp5z733uiy