Politikverdrossenheit oder kritische Demokraten?: Eine Analyse der Einstellungen zur direkten Demokratie in Österreich im Lichte von drei theoretischen Ansätzen

Abstract

Direct democracy in Austria is usually discussed without including the citizens as relevant political actors. Based on a representative survey (n=2000) conducted in 2012, this paper describes the public opinion vis-à-vis direct democracy and addresses the question of which sociodemographic and political factors influence the support for an extension of direct democracy. Three theoretical approaches are compared with regard to their explanatory potential and normative implications: new politics, political disaffection and the theory of participational democracy. While each explains certain aspects, no theory can claim to offer a comprehensive explanation. Due to the overall high acceptance of direct democracy in the Austrian population only limited explanatory power is attained.