MINDING THE GAP BETWEEN EXPECTATIONS AND PERCEPTIONS OF DEMOCRACY REFLETINDO SOBRE A DISTÂNCIA ENTRE EXPECTATIVAS E PERCEPÇÕES DA DEMOCRACIA Todd Donovan  Jeffrey Karp Abstract: Studies of perceptions of democratic performance and satisfaction with democracy may over estimate effects of electoral rules on attitudes if country-level corruption and income inequality are not accounted for. We use mixed-level models to estimate evaluations of democracy using data from Wave 6 of the European Social Survey. We use new measures of democratic expectations about elections and party systems along with the 'satisfaction with democracy' item to test for effects of electoral rules on perceptions of democracy. We replicate previous studies and find multipartyism and preferential ballot structure correspond with positive evaluations of elections and parties, and greater satisfaction with how democracy is functioning in a person's country. However, these relationships dissipate when we account for corruption and income inequality. This suggests we should exercise caution when linking electoral systems and electoral reforms to democratic legitimacy and perceptions of democratic performance. Keywords: Democracy; Elections; Corruption; European Union Resumo: Este trabalho utilizou modelos de nível misto para estimar as avaliações da democracia a partir de dados do documento Wave 6 do European Social Survey. Estudos sobre percepção do desempenho democrático e de satisfação com a democracia podem superestimar os efeitos das regras eleitorais sobre atitudes se o nível de corrupção no país e a desigualdade de renda não forem considerados. Foram utilizadas novas medidas de expectativas democráticas acerca de eleições e sistemas partidários, juntamente com o item "satisfação com a democracia”, para testar os efeitos de regras eleitorais sobre a percepção da democracia. Replicamos estudos * Paper prepared for the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association. San Francisco, CA. September 3-6, 2015. Todd Donovan é professor da Western Washington University (todd.donovan@wwu.edu) e Jeffrey Karp da University of Exeter (jeffrey.a.karp@gmail.com)