Does It Sound Like Democracy? Student Support for Democracy in Poland and Ukraine Before the Russo–Ukrainian War

This article presents the results of a quantitative study designed to explore multidimensionally how young people—students from Poland and Ukraine—support and evaluate democracy in their respective countries. Different trajectories of transformation, cultural disparities, uneven experiences of communism and inconsistent political and economic modernisation should foster a different perception of political values and institutions, even in neighbouring countries. The most important finding of the article is that while living in a better quality democracy (Poland) translates into higher support for democracy, the experience of a defective democracy (Ukraine) does not dampen such support amongst students.