Though most Latin American countries have democratic governments, support for democracy in the region is more abstract than it is practical, a Vanderbilt study suggests.

The Vanderbilt-based Latin American Public Opinion Project recently released its 2008 study. Conducted every two years, AmericasBarometer compiles public opinion data from 23 nations in the Caribbean, North, South and Central America.

This year's survey focused on the "impact of governance on the democratic political culture," said Elizabeth Zechmeister, the assistant director of LAPOP.

According to the surveys, most Latin Americans still grapple with their recent undemocratic pasts. Political scientists working on AmericasBarometer hope to learn the extent to which democratic values have become entrenched in the region.

Through the survey, researchers have discovered that Latin Americans' support of democracy is quite complex.

"We find much greater support for democracy in the abstract than democracy in practice," Zechmeister said.

LAPOP, directed by Centennial Professor of Political Science Mitchell A. Seligson, was started in the 1970s and includes collaborations from faculty members and graduate students from other universities.

The project is funded by grants from the United States Agency for International Development, Inter-America Development Bank and United Nations Development. These organizations, along with Latin American governments, have used the studies to promote democracy in Latin America.