Process preferences
Hibbing (2001) and Hibbing and Theiss-Morse (2002) find citizens dislike visible conflict.
Deliberation debate
It clashes with deliberative democracy; Neblo et al. (2010) find appetite for deliberation; Font et al. (2015), Bengtsson and Mattila (2009); compare sortition.
Populism and critiques
Webb (2013) links it to populism; VanderMolen (2017) questions measures.
FAQ
- What is it in simple terms?
- Wanting a quiet, efficient government rather than taking part.
- Do citizens really dislike participation?
- Many want to deliberate when given the chance.
Sources reviewed: 2026-10-26
References
- Hibbing, J. R., & Theiss-Morse, E. (2002). Stealth democracy: Americans' beliefs about how government should work. Cambridge University Press. The original book introducing the concept and its survey evidence.
- Hibbing, J. R. (2001). Process preferences and American politics: What the people want government to be. American Political Science Review, 95(1), 145–153. Argues process preferences matter as much as policy preferences.
- Neblo, M. A., Esterling, K. M., Kennedy, R. P., Lazer, D. M. J., & Sokhey, A. E. (2010). Who wants to deliberate—and why? American Political Science Review, 104(3), 566–583. Rebuts the thesis, showing many citizens want to deliberate.
- Bengtsson, Å., & Mattila, M. (2009). Direct democracy and its critics: Support for direct democracy and 'stealth' democracy in Finland. West European Politics, 32(5), 1031–1048. Finnish evidence contrasting direct and stealth democracy support.
- Font, J., Wojcieszak, M., & Navarro, C. J. (2015). Participation, representation and expertise: Citizen preferences for political decision-making processes. Political Studies, 63(1_suppl), 153–172. Analyses preferences for participatory, representative and expert decision-making.
- VanderMolen, K. (2017). Stealth democracy revisited: Reconsidering preferences for less visible government. Political Research Quarterly, 70(3), 687–698. Re-examines the measures and validity of the concept.
- Webb, P. (2013). Who is willing to participate? Dissatisfied democrats, stealth democrats and populists in the United Kingdom. European Journal of Political Research, 52(6), 747–772. Distinguishes dissatisfied and stealth democrats in the UK, linking to populism.