Relationship to the representative system and support for direct and deliberative democracy. A comparative analysis of the attitudes of national elected officials in Europe

This article analyzes the determinants of support for referendums and deliberative events, using attitudinal data collected through a survey of just over 900 national parliamentarians in fourteen European countries (2009–2012). The findings indicate lower support for referendums than for deliberative events at the aggregate level. Statistical analysis highlights distinct explanatory factors of support for these two types of processes, linked to the partisan affiliation of elected officials, but also to their evaluation of the functioning and actors of the representative system.