Poles’ Commitment to the Rights of Political Dissenters

Empirical research on support for democracy and democratic values in Eastern Europe has proliferated in the last decade and a half. Based on survey data from a recent, nationally representative survey of Polish public opinion, I contribute to this growing literature by exploring the dynamics of Poles’ support for the rights of political dissenters. Using multivariate regression analysis, I model the relationships between a variety of socio-political assessments and support for political dissenters’ rights. I find that Poles’ support for the rights of political dissenters is far from uniform and varies as a function of authoritarianism, approval of the government in power, anomie, education, and (marginally) gender. I conclude with a discussion of my findings’ implications for democratic consolidation in Poland.