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Partisan Dynamics and Democratic Passion: Taiwan's 2008 and 2016 Party Turnovers and Democratic Resilience

黨性與民主熱情的微觀動態分析-臺灣2008年及2016年政黨輪替下的民主韌性

Abstracts


Prevailing scholarship on democratic resilience often assumes widespread, uniform support for democracy and treats democratic backsliding as a collective phenomenon. This study challenges that assumption by uncovering pronounced micro-level differences in democratic passion among Taiwanese citizens during the 2008 and 2016 presidential turnovers. Drawing on nationally representative survey data, the exploratory results show that DPP supporters consistently affirm strong democratic values, even in opposition, while KMT supporters-regardless of governing status-do not exhibit comparable democratic enthusiasm. This pattern does not merely reflect anti-democratic attitudes; instead, it suggests that KMT supporters anchor their evaluations in trust in government and political figures, particularly in Taiwan's highly partisan context. In contrast, nonpartisan individuals often display indifference to democratic participation, raising additional concerns for democratic legitimacy. These results complicate the notion of uniform democratic commitment and demonstrate that partisan affiliation, trust orientation, and political disengagement are each closely associated with varying attitudes toward democracy. By elucidating these subtle dynamics, this study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of democratic consolidation in Taiwan and highlights the necessity of addressing micro-level differentiation in assessments of democratic resilience.

Parallel abstracts


關於民主韌性的主流研究多預設民主社會裡的大眾對民主的支持是普遍且跨黨派的,並從宏觀的角度將民主退行視為一種總體層次的現象。本研究從微觀的角度挑戰了此一預設,透過分析2008年與2016年臺灣兩次總統大選政黨輪替期間的數據,揭示公民在微觀層次上對於「民主熱情」的顯著差異。本研究使用具有全國代表性的民意調查資料,透過探索式資料分析,顯示出民進黨支持者無論在朝或在野,均展現出對民主價值的持續強烈肯定;相較之下,國民黨支持者的民主熱情則不論執政與否,皆未表現出同等程度的民主熱情。此種模式並非單純反映反民主態度,而是顯示國民黨支持者對民主的評價往往錨定了對政府及政治人物的信任。在臺灣愈發極化的黨派脈絡之中,無明顯黨性的民眾對民主參與展現出的漠然態度,亦為民主正當性帶來額外隱憂。本研究結果呈現了「民主國度中大家都熱愛民主」這個說法背後的複雜性。個人的黨性與黨派認同、信任取向與政治疏離感皆與其民主熱情的分歧密切相關。本研究透過闡明這些細微的潛在關係,為臺灣民主鞏固提供了更具層次感的理解,並強調了在評估民主韌性時納入微觀層次差異分析之必要性。

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