Dissatisfaction, Political

Mariano Torcal

Political dissatisfaction is the attitudinal expression of unhappiness or lack of satisfaction based on the belief that the government or incumbent policies and their outcomes are falling short of the citizen's preferences or expectations, resulting in a negative feeling toward the government and the incumbents. This definition implies the following from a theoretical point of view: First, it means that this is an attitude related mostly with the evaluation of policies and their outcomes. Second, it implies that citizens are able to distinguish and identify those policies and their consequences, evaluate them, and compare them with their given preferences. Third, the definition also signifies that citizens attribute these policy decisions to specific political authorities who are responsible for selecting and implementing them. Fourth, it means that citizens think that there are alternative policies that better suit their problems and expectations, opening the possibility of giving the support to other contenders. ...

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