ABSTRACT
The debates on the viability of Malawi’s democracy appear to be informed, at least in part, by the literature on democracy consolidation, which suggests that transitions from authoritarian rule do not always result in consolidated democracies. Although both expert and survey data suggest that Malawi’s democracy has stagnated, we must also address whether a comprehensive assessment of consolidation requires that the study further consider whether the observed stagnation is impacting on public attitudes towards democracy. However, in order to fully understand the depth and commitment towards democracy, it is important to move beyond mere expressions of support for a democratic regime. The results tracking the socio-demographic characteristics of Malawians who demand democracy reveal a number of interesting characteristics of Malawians who can be labelled as ‘committed democrats’. The literature on democracy consolidation explores the important fact that democratic attitudes should remain resilient, even in the face of poor economic conditions.
