Democratic Hypocrisy: Unequal Tolerance for Protest in Germany

Political tolerance is a cornerstone of liberal democracy, yet it is applied selectively: tolerance is lower for disliked groups. Existing research relies on abstract experimental designs, rarely examining real-world tolerance biases and their downstream consequences. We address these gaps through a preregistered vignette survey experiment (N=5,000) in Germany, comparing public reactions to identical protest tactics (road blockades) used by farmers and climate activists. Respondents were significantly more likely to support undemocratic responses, including imprisonment without trial, when protests involved climate activists. They were also less willing to grant climate activists key democratic rights, such as the freedom to assemble and to protest. Additionally, democratic hypocrisy also shaped support to identical anti-democratic rhetoric from fellow citizens, creating the potential to further normalize intolerance. Our findings underline that democratic hypocrisy extends beyond elites to ordinary citizens, challenging assumptions about the robustness of democratic norms. By studying real-world political conflicts, we improve external validity and highlight how political biases shape democratic attitudes and behavior.