Divided We Stand: Exploring Public Perceptions of Georgia’s Political System

Authors

• Luka Lazishvili, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

First Advisor

Regina Werum

Committee Members

Philip Schwadel, Seulki Kim

Date of this Version

4-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Citation

A thesis presented to the faculty of the Graduate College at the University of Nebraska in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Arts

Major: Sociology

Under the supervision of Professor Regina Werum

Lincoln, Nebraska, April 2026

Comments

Copyright 2026, Luka Lazishvili. Used by permission

Abstract

Recent years have witnessed increasing concern about democratic backsliding across different regime types, raising important questions about how citizens perceive the legitimacy of political systems during periods of institutional decline. Since 2019, the Republic of Georgia has been experiencing a sustained period of political unrest, which has deepened political polarization and contributed to a decline in Georgia’s Democracy Index. This study examines how citizens perceived the legitimacy of their political system amid democratic backsliding between 2019-2024.

Drawing on legitimacy theory and social identity theory, this study analyzes three waves of cross-sectional data from the Caucasus Barometer survey (2019, 2021, and 2024). Multinomial logistic regressions examine the extent to which general commitment to democracy (diffuse support) and partisan identity independently predict perceptions of the country’s political system (specific support).

The findings reveal three primary patterns that complicate the relationship between diffuse support of democracy and specific system support. First, there is no direct relationship between diffuse and specific support. While democracy remains widely endorsed, this preference of democracy does not automatically translate into positive perceptions of the existing political system. Second, partisan identity emerges as a robust predictor of regime perception. Supporters of the ruling party are substantially more likely to perceive the political system as democratic, compared to other respondents. Third, factors related to trust in government, particularly trust in political institutions and perceptions of fair treatment by the government, strongly influence regime perceptions. In contrast, factors indicative of sociocultural affinities, such as Soviet nostalgia or trust in the European Union, play a more limited role in shaping regime perceptions.

The theoretical implications of these findings include that in contexts of democratic backsliding, the relationship between diffuse and specific support is not automatic but contingent on partisan identity and institutional trust. At the same time, the results reinforce existing literature on the central role of partisan identity while highlighting the importance of trust in government factors and the need for further research on sociocultural affinity factors.

Advisor: Regina Werum