A quiet and invisible challenge: Depressive symptoms and the evaluation of democratic institutions

Depressive symptoms in citizens are a strong predictor of political non-participation and have considerable negative effects on motivation and political interest. Apparently, the way in which depressed citizens relate to democratic institutions significantly differs from that of other citizens. In this letter, we therefore explore the relationship between depressive symptoms and the assessment of democracy. We test whether depressive symptoms, and the negativity bias they engender, lead to more negative evaluations of democratic institutions, practices and performance. Drawing on data from the European Social Survey, we find depression has negative effects on the assessment of democracy across countries and evaluative dimensions, and that on average, people with depressive symptoms have more negative views about democracy in their own country. An analysis of longitudinal data from Germany provides further evidence by demonstrating that intrapersonal changes in depression over time lead to changes in democratic evaluations.