Public Support for Peace Agreements: The Cases of Guatemala, Nepal, and Northern Ireland

Peace agreements are often negotiated and signed by elites. The recent referendum in Colombia revealed that such elite compromises may not always be supported by citizens in conflict-affected countries. Yet, survey data from Guatemala, Nepal, and Northern Ireland indicates that peace agreements in these countries have strong popular support. While sociodemographic differences are not important for explaining variations in support, group identity, victimhood and former participation in the conflict are better predictors of support for the various provisions of the agreements.