What do citizens do in response to threats to democracy? This book examines the mass politics of civic obligation in the US, UK, and Germany. Exploring threats like foreign interference in elections and polarization, Sara Wallace Goodman shows that citizens respond to threats to democracy as partisans, interpreting civic obligation through a partisan lens that is shaped by their country's political institutions. This divided, partisan citizenship makes democratic problems worse by eroding the national unity required for democratic stability. Employing novel survey experiments in a cross-national research design, Citizenship in Hard Times presents the first comprehensive and comparative analysis of citizenship norms in the face of democratic threat. In showing partisan citizens are not a reliable bulwark against democratic backsliding, Goodman identifies a key vulnerability in the mass politics of democratic order. In times of democratic crisis, defenders of democracy must work to fortify the shared foundations of democratic citizenship.

‘As threats to democracy arise in many lands, how will citizens respond? Sara Wallace Goodman’s incisive three-nation comparison shows that, influenced by partisan positioning and electoral systems, some citizens may defend democratic processes and institutions vigorously, but many may not. A disturbing but essential analysis.’

Rogers M. Smith - Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political Science, University of Pennsylvania

‘Can citizens uphold democracy? Yes. Will they? It depends. Building on thorough research and innovative theorizing, Citizenship in Hard Times explores how the dynamics of partisan conflicts shapes citizens’ priorities, and, most urgently, how zero-sum winner-take-all politics can lead citizens to prioritize their side winning over democratic norms. A must-read for anybody concerned about the future of American democracy.’

Lee Drutman - Senior Fellow, Political Reform Program, New America Foundation

‘Goodman argues that democratic crisis is as much about the norm-based decisions that citizens make as it is about the violation of democratic norms by ‘those in charge.’ She then goes on to explain how and when citizens are ‘the midwives of authoritarianism’ and when they are the defenders of democracy instead. Turning our attention away from the behavior of political elites and toward the norms of ordinary people, this book will provoke deep conversation and deeper concern. It is both timely and bold.’

Nancy Bermeo - Nuffield Senior Research Fellow, University of Oxford

‘… timely, sophisticated analysis … Through this compelling study, Goodman alerts readers to the fragile nature of democracy and raises a number of crucial questions. … Recommended.’

S. E. Frantzich Source: CHOICE

‘… this book is in the rare tradition of work that needs to be read and taken seriously by scholars across discipline and subfield. It has a place in the pantheon of comparative public opinion scholarship that asks big questions and searches widely and deeply for answers.’

Matthew Wright Source: Perspectives on Politics

‘… an important contribution to the study of democracy in times of various threats, particularly the pitfalls of partisanship.’

Mia K. Gandenberger Source: The Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics

‘Goodman’s … book is a fantastic and worthwhile read. It forces scholars to recognize that the meaning of citizenship is context contingent, and it means different things to different people.’

Ryan Dawkins Source: The Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics