Do European elections enhance satisfaction with EU democracy?

Elections carry the potential to increase citizens’ satisfaction with democracy. As Carolina Plescia, Jean-François Daoust and André Blais explain, previous research has shown that this effect is apparent among those who take part in national elections, rather than abstain, and among voters who back ‘winners’ rather than ‘losers’. Drawing on original panel data collected during the 2019 European Parliament elections in eight countries, they demonstrate that while electoral participation and backing a winning party do increase satisfaction with EU democracy, this effect does not materialise among citizens with an exclusive national identity.