Minority governments are a recurring phenomenon in European parliamentary democracies and are likely to become more frequent as party system fragmentation and polarization increases and as radical right parties gain strength. However, little is known about the perceived representational quality and citizens’ acceptance of minority governments. Do citizens favor minority governments with formalized support agreements, or do they prefer those without any agreements? To what extent do narratives about minority governments by parties, the media, and experts shape these perceptions? This study addresses these questions through a survey vignette experiment conducted in six European countries – Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden (N = 21,000). Respondents evaluate hypothetical minority governments presented in randomized fictional newspaper articles. The newspaper articles outline the formation of a minority government and highlight its characteristics: the prime minister’s party, the presence and formalization of support agreements, support party, the government’s policy priorities and guiding motto, justifications for government formation, and expert evaluations. Our preliminary results reveal that citizens strongly disfavor minority governments that rely on radical right support parties – regardless whether support is formalized or not. Moreover, citizens generally prefer substantive minority governments – those without formal or informal agreements with opposition parties – over those that include support agreements. Additionally, expert evaluations significantly influence citizens’ opinions, particularly when experts emphasize negative aspects of minority governments. These findings have important implications for understanding political representation in multiparty systems, citizens’ perceptions of coalition strategies, and the role of narratives in shaping public opinion about minority governments.