Authoritarian cultures in the shadow of democracy

Research on democratic backsliding primarily focuses on national governments and party systems, yet sociologists have repeatedly emphasized the role of local culture in institutional outcomes and the distribution of power. Extending on early research on “authoritarian personalities,” I argue that sociological approaches offer useful tools for understanding the subnational erosion of democracy. Specifically, I theorize a set of community-level conditions that may foster authoritarian sentiments, what I term authoritarian cultures , and suggest these configurations curate fertile grounds for anti-democratic mobilization. Taking the 2022 congressional midterm elections in the United States as a case in point, where numerous candidates openly rejected the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election, I measure latent cultures across congressional districts and assess how their presence relates to support for anti-democratic candidates. Findings are consistent with this theoretical framework, while also revealing a nuanced and multidimensional structure. Broadly, this study demonstrates the utility of a sociological and, in particular, community-centered approach to understanding democratic backsliding, from the ground up.