From Losers’ Consent to Winners’ Restraint: Citizens Reactions to Accumulating Democratic Violations

Abstract While ‘losers’ consent’ has long been recognized as crucial for democratic stability, recent concerns over elite manipulation of democratic processes highlight the need to shift focus to the responsibility of political winners. We argue that ‘winners’ restraint’ is equally indispensable, even in well-established democracies. Our study investigates the presence and boundaries of winners’ restraint, particularly in the realm of policy decisions. Through a survey and two experiments conducted in the UK, we examine the extent to which respondents tolerate accumulating procedural violations before dissenting. Our findings reveal that while citizens may initially overlook undemocratic behavior that aligns with their policy preferences, there are inherent limits to this tolerance. For a majority of respondents, winners’ restraint can be activated as violations accumulate, resulting in a withdrawal of perceived legitimacy. This underscores the critical role of winners in upholding democratic principles and resisting erosion of democratic norms.