Three types of political culture
Using surveys in the United States, Britain, West Germany, Italy and Mexico, Almond and Verba (1963) distinguished three political cultures: parochial, barely aware of the political system; subject, attentive to government outputs but not participating; and participant, actively engaged. They argued that a civic culture, mainly participant but mixed with subject and parochial elements so that participation and stability balance, best suits democracy.
Extensions and revival
Easton (1975) separated diffuse support for the regime itself from specific support for incumbents' performance. Inglehart (1988) revived political culture research with cross-national data linking interpersonal trust and life satisfaction to democratic persistence. Putnam (1993) showed in Italian regional governments that civic traditions and social capital shape institutional performance.
Critiques and change
Muller and Seligson (1994) argued that causality runs the other way, with democratic experience shaping civic attitudes rather than the reverse. The theory was also criticized as Western-centric for treating the US and Britain as ideals. Dalton (2004) and Norris (2011) found that in advanced democracies trust in government fell while support for democratic ideals held, producing more critical citizens.
FAQ
- What is civic culture theory in simple terms?
- For democracy to last, citizens need balanced attitudes: they take part in politics while still trusting institutions and authority to a reasonable degree.
- Does civic culture create democracy, or the reverse?
- The original theory said culture sustains democracy, but Muller and Seligson found evidence that democratic experience shapes attitudes, and the debate continues.
Sources reviewed: 2026-10-26
References
- Almond, G. A., & Verba, S. (1963). The civic culture: Political attitudes and democracy in five nations. Princeton University Press. The founding study.
- Easton, D. (1975). A re-assessment of the concept of political support. British Journal of Political Science, 5(4), 435–457. Diffuse versus specific support.
- Inglehart, R. (1988). The renaissance of political culture. American Political Science Review, 82(4), 1203–1230. Revived political culture research.
- Muller, E. N., & Seligson, M. A. (1994). Civic culture and democracy: The question of causal relationships. American Political Science Review, 88(3), 635–652. Tests the direction of causality.
- Putnam, R. D. (1993). Making democracy work: Civic traditions in modern Italy. Princeton University Press. Civic traditions and institutional performance.
- Dalton, R. J. (2004). Democratic challenges, democratic choices: The erosion of political support in advanced industrial democracies. Oxford University Press. Erosion of political support.
- Norris, P. (2011). Democratic deficit: Critical citizens revisited. Cambridge University Press. Critical citizens revisited.