Democrats and Republicans equally willing to stick with candidate who breaks democratic norms, study finds


About 3.5 percent of Americans would defect from their favorite political candidate if that person does something that breaks democratic norms, a new study published in the American Political Science Review from Yale University's Matthew Graham and Milan Svolik found. That's a pretty small amount for a country where the traditional answer to the question of whether democracy is a good thing is almost certainly a yes, Svolik told The Atlantic.
Graham and Svolik achieved their results after asking 1,691 people if they would turn on a democracy-bashing candidate they otherwise found to represent their own opinions on most political matters, but the 3.5 percent figure, it turns out, is actually backed by a real-life example, as well. In 2017, a day before Montana's congressional election, Rep. Greg Gianforte (R-Mt.) assaulted a journalist after growing irritated with his questioning. Voters who took to the polls the next day would likely have been aware of the incident, while those who mailed in their ballots would have done so before the anti-democratic action took place, The Atlantic notes. Gianforte, who won the election, received about 3.6 percent fewer in-person votes, which is right in line with the Yale study.
The responses in the Yale study were not partisan, however. Moderates, on both the left and right, were most likely to turn on candidates in equal measure, while Democrats and Republicans were equally willing to ignore anti-Democratic actions, Svolik said. Read more at The Atlantic.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Dozens dead in Kashmir as terrorists target tourists
Speed Read Visitors were taking pictures and riding ponies in a popular mountain town when assailants open fired, killing at least 26
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Israel blames 'failures' for killing of medics
speed read 14 Gaza medics and 1 U.N. employee were killed by IDF special forces
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
China accuses NSA of Winter Games cyberattacks
speed read China alleges that the U.S. National Security Agency launched cyberattacks during the Asian Winter Games in February
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Russian strike kills dozens in Ukraine
Speed Read The Sumy ballistic missile strike was Russia's deadliest attack on civilians this year
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
South Korea court removes impeached president
Speed Read The Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol after his declaration of martial law in December
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Myanmar quake deaths rise as survivor search intensifies
speed read The magnitude-7.7 earthquake in central Myanmar has killed a documented 2,000 people so far, and left scores more trapped beneath rubble
By Peter Weber, The Week US