Partisan beliefs fuel democratic backsliding by undermining democracy's value.
Voters who value democracy may unintentionally contribute to its decline by believing that their opponents are more willing to undermine democratic norms. When shown evidence that their opponents actually support democracy, voters become more committed to upholding democratic norms themselves and less likely to support candidates who break these norms. This suggests that informing voters about their opponents' commitment to democracy can help prevent democratic backsliding.