Ancestral Origins of Democratic Preferences: The Role of State Experience

Abstract

Early statehood may foster proto-democratic values by demonstrating the effectiveness of balancing between central authority and local autonomy in addressing coordination problems. However, further consolidation of authoritarian systems entrench hierarchical structures, thereby undermining norms of democratic participation. In this view, we propose an inverted U-shaped relationship between ancestral state experience and democratic preferences, with intergenerational transmission as a channel for its lasting impact. Country-level evidence supports our hypothesis. Using data from the Ethnographic Atlas, we show that moderate exposure to ancestral statehood is positively associated with democratic preferences, while excessive exposure has the reverse effect. Individual-level evidence from the Integrated Values Survey and the General Social Survey corroborates this pattern, confirming the intergenerational transmission of the ancestral legacy on democratic preferences. We find no comparable results for other cultural traits, highlighting the unique impact on democratic attitudes.