Anthropologist Mary Douglas and political scientist Aaron Wildavsky have proposed a theory that people's political preferences are shaped largely by the culture in which they prefer to live. This study tests their theory with public opinion data recently collected from the Republic of Korea. Secondary analysis of the data reveals that upholders of an individualist culture are most supportive of democratic politics, whereas those of a hierarchical culture are least supportive of it. Moreover, the analysis reveals that general levels of public support in Korea depend far more on the type of culture than on any socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. On the basis of these findings it is argued that culture should be considered as a promising rival theory of political preferences.
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