The role of democratic values in shaping perceptions of political incivility in European liberal democracies

This study investigates whether citizens’ perceptions of political incivility converge across liberal democracies and the extent to which individual orientations towards democracy and democratic values are associated with sensitivity to incivility. Drawing on a comparative survey conducted in Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom (N = 3500), it examines the individual factors associated with sensitivity to incivility. The results show that support for democracy and endorsement of democratic values are the most influential predictors of sensitivity to incivility, with higher levels associated with greater sensitivity, whereas anti-political attitudes are associated with lower sensitivity. These findings indicate that sensitivity to incivility is primarily associated with citizens’ orientations towards democracy and its normative principles rather than with national contextual differences. Citizens in Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom assess incivility in remarkably similar ways, despite differences in electoral systems, media systems, and political cultures.