This paper examines the contested domain of affective polarization and its influence on democratic attitudes as shaped by electoral processes, building on prior research that connects affective polarization to cross-national trends in autocratization. Specifically, we analyze the conditional effects of affective polarization and its core components — partisan affinity and partisan animosity — on democratic attitudes in the aftermath of elections. Drawing on post-election data from the highly polarized 2023 Spanish general election, we evaluate how these polarization dynamics impact various dimensions of democratic support, measured through a robust set of survey items. Our findings reveal that polarization-related attitudes play a substantial moderating role, particularly in shaping perceptions of liberal democratic principles and democratic performance among electoral winners and losers. This moderating effect cultivates a public opinion climate among the most polarized, potentially enabling political elites to undermine liberal democratic norms and its current performance amplifying public support for leaders prone to such transgressions.
Keywords: Winning and Losing, Partisan Animosity, Partisan Affinity, Democratic Attitudes, Support for democracy, Democratic backsliding, Spain
