Although political elites are widely recognized as crucial to democratic backsliding, they have received limited scholarly attention. Elites are harder to access than citizens, and the behavioralist paradigm has prioritized public opinion research. Yet, understanding why some politicians undermine democratic institutions while others in similar circumstances do not is a vital question in the study of democratic erosion.

We explore this question by examining how committed political elites are to democracy and why. Our study focuses on India, a country that has seen significant democratic backsliding in the past decade. Using a survey of 300 politicians—both winning and losing MPs and MLAs—across four Indian states, we investigate their commitment to three dimensions of democracy: electoral, liberal, and egalitarian. Additionally, we examine how their social backgrounds, networks, political pathways, and criminal records shape their adherence to democratic norms.

A key hypothesis is that while elites may endorse democracy in principle, they often fail to uphold its values in practice. To capture this gap, our survey includes questions on abstract democratic principles (e.g., protecting freedom of expression during crises) and their concrete applications in India (e.g., raiding a news agency’s office). By studying the origins and dimensions of elites' democratic commitments, our research sheds light on the mechanisms of democratic erosion and the role elites play in either safeguarding or undermining democratic institutions.