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Political Participation and Wellbeing in the Netherlands: Exploring the Causal Links

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  • André Pirralha

    (Universitat Pompeu Fabra – Research and Expertise Centre for Survey Methodology)

Abstract

Does political participation make individuals more satisfied with their lives? Scholars of classical philosophy and participatory democracy suggest that participation in political activities is indeed a fundamental tenet of individual wellbeing. However, even though political participation is one of the most intensively studied topics in political science for decades, the relationship with individual wellbeing only recently started to gather some attention. So far, the existing empirical research has come to inconclusive results. In this study, we first re-examine the theoretical relationships between political participation and wellbeing. Secondly, using panel data from the Netherlands, we assess empirically the causal relations between taking part in political activities and individual life satisfaction. We give special attention to the role of political efficacy in this relationship. Employing structural equation modeling and correcting for measurement error, we find no evidence of a substantive effect of political participation on life satisfaction.

Suggested Citation

  • André Pirralha, 2017. "Political Participation and Wellbeing in the Netherlands: Exploring the Causal Links," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 12(2), pages 327-341, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ariqol:v:12:y:2017:i:2:d:10.1007_s11482-016-9463-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s11482-016-9463-x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Nazly Guiselly Albornoz-Manyoma & Patricia García-Leiva & María Soledad Palacios-Gálvez, 2021. "Longitudinal Study of the Psychosocial Effects of Political Participation by Children: the ‘Ágora Infantil’ Programme," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 14(5), pages 2083-2096, October.
    3. Gabriele Prati, 2022. "The Relationship Between Political Participation and Life Satisfaction Depends on Preference for Non-Democratic Solutions," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 17(3), pages 1867-1881, June.
    4. Yingying Sun & Yue Zhang, 2019. "Who Is Happier in China? Exploring Determinant Factors Using Religion as a Moderator," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(22), pages 1-17, November.
    5. Ken Ka-wo Fung & Chao-Lung Liu & Ming-Lun Chung, 2022. "Bowling Alone in Taiwan? Political Trust and Civic Participation of Taiwanese and Their Appraisal of Liberal Democracy and Personal Wellbeing," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 159(3), pages 1085-1102, February.

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