Democratic Backsliding Based on Illusions: Authoritarians' Biased Perception of Media Freedom Contributes to Their Political Support

Authoritarianism plays a pivotal role in shaping anti-democratic preferences, including support for institutional restrictions on free speech. In this study, we present empirical evidence that authoritarianism undermines public discourse not only through such antidemocratic views but also by fostering ignorance regarding problems with freedom of speech. The study aims to demonstrate that authoritarianism is associated with a more positive perception of media freedom, particularly in contexts where such freedom is more problematic. Using multilevel structural equation modelling and representative data from 31 European countries in the European Social Survey (N = 59,685), we found that authoritarianism correlates with perceptions of media freedom (b = 0.45; p < 0.001), and indirectly, through this perception, with political support-indicated by political trust (b = 0.12; p < 0.001), satisfaction with democracy (b = 0.16; p < 0.001) and satisfaction with the government (b = 0.13; p < 0.001). Moreover, the association between authoritarianism and perceived media freedom is stronger in countries with weaker actual media freedom (b = -0.03; p = 0.016). These findings underscore how authoritarianism contributes to support for antidemocratic regimes that curtail the boundaries of public discourse, often fueled by biased perceptions of free speech opportunities.