When citizens are voting away the democracies they claim to cherish, they are driven in part by the belief that their opponents will undermine democracy first, a new research has shown. The findings suggest that “aspiring autocrats may instigate democratic backsliding by accusing their opponents of subverting democracy”. The authors claim that “we can foster democratic stability by informing partisans about the other side’s commitment to democracy.”

Here is the study: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-023-01594-w