<p>This paper explores the effect of education on understandings of and support for democratic government in Malawi – paying particular attention to the consequences of primary schooling, which remains the modal experience of Malawian voters.</p><p>The study indicates that primary schooling promotes citizen endorsement of democracy and rejection of non-democratic alternatives even when it has taken place under authoritarian rule, without explicit civic education. It finds that the educated not only support democracy but they have a better understanding of why they are supporting it.</p><p>As a tool of intervention for the promotion of democratic cultures, education per se, would thus seem to represent a good investment – especially as it is effective, in part at least, even when provided at only relatively elementary levels: Primary schooling in particular has a strong positive effect on general preferences for democracy and the rejection of non-democratic alternatives.</p>