People who believe they contribute to society are more likely to vote and engage in politics

Two studies using data from two different points in recent American history found that individuals who believe their contribution to society is higher are more likely to intend to vote, engage in activism, and seek election information. They were also more likely to donate to and volunteer for political causes compared to individuals who saw their contribution to society as smaller. The paper was published in PLOS One.

Political participation is the extent to which citizens engage in activities intended to influence political decision-making, such as voting, engaging in political activism, communicating with officials, or engaging in public debate. Political participation is crucial in representative democracies because it provides legitimacy to governing institutions by reflecting the will and preferences of the population.

High levels of participation help ensure accountability, as elected representatives are responsive to citizens who can reward or punish them through elections. Political participation also fosters civic competence, encouraging individuals to develop political knowledge and a sense of efficacy.

However, in spite of this, a significant number of eligible citizens do not engage in fundamental democratic processes, including voting. For example, in the most recent national elections in the United States in 2024, 90 million eligible voters did not vote. The situation is similar in many countries across the world.

Studies have identified many factors associated with the likelihood of political participation. For example, one key determinant of participation is socio-economic status, with individuals with higher education and income typically more likely to participate in political processes.

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Individuals who are members of organized groups such as unions, civic associations, or political parties are more likely to vote or engage in other forms of political participation. Finally, broader factors such as trust in institutions and perceived fairness of the system also determine whether citizens feel that participation is meaningful and worthwhile.

Study author Ellen C. Reinhart and her colleagues wanted to investigate the degree to which self-perceived social contribution is related to measures of political participation. Measures of political participation included the intention to vote, willingness to engage in political activism, seeking and not avoiding information about an election, and donating to and volunteering for political causes.

The study authors reasoned that people who feel their contributions to society are meaningful and valuable are more likely to feel integrated within the broader collective and identify with it. These feelings of integration and identification will then make them more interested in influencing developments in society. These authors conducted two studies.

The first study was an online survey conducted between late September and early November 2024, just prior to the last US presidential elections. Participants were 1049 adults living in the U.S., selected to be roughly representative by race and ethnicity of the U.S. population and balanced across the two major political parties. 48.4% of participants were Democrat supporters, while 46.8% supported Republicans.

Participants completed assessments of self-perceived social contribution (e.g., “I have something valuable to give to the world”), voting intention (whether they intended to vote in the 2024 Presidential Election), willingness to engage in social activism (e.g., “With regard to this presidential election, I would be willing to…post about my candidate on social media”), and seeking vs. avoiding information about elections (e.g., “I plan to seek information about the 2024 presidential election in the near future”).

As their second study, these authors analyzed data from the Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) national survey. More specifically, they used data collected in 1995-1996. The data came from 2680 participants, roughly balanced by gender. Participants’ average age was 47 years.

The study authors used data on self-perceived social contribution, self-efficacy (e.g., “I can do just about anything I really set my mind to”), social responsibility (e.g., how obliged they feel to participate in activities such as voting, serving on a jury, or testifying in court), donating to political causes (the amount of money donated), and volunteering for political causes (the number of hours). They also used data on participants’ life satisfaction (“How would you rate your overall life these days?”) and general psychological well-being.

Results of the first study showed that 95% of participants reported intending to vote. Individuals who perceived their social contribution to be higher were more likely to intend to vote. They were also more likely to seek, rather than avoid, information about elections.

While they initially showed a higher willingness to engage in political activism, this specific link failed to reach statistical significance once the researchers factored in participants’ general belief that the political system works (internal and external political efficacy).

Results of the second study showed that 84% of participants did not donate to a political organization monthly and 91% did not volunteer for a political organization. Individuals who saw their contribution to society as higher tended to feel greater self-efficacy and social responsibility. They were also more likely to donate to and volunteer for political organizations.

Study authors tested a statistical model proposing that individuals who see their self-efficacy as higher and who feel greater social responsibility will tend to see their social contribution as higher. In turn, this would make them more likely to volunteer for and donate to political organizations. Results suggested that such a state of relations between these factors is possible. Importantly, this effect held true even when controlling for global measures of well-being, proving that social contribution drives participation beyond simply having high life satisfaction.

“If someone does not believe their life and daily activities provide something of value to society and are therefore also less likely to be engaged in that broader society politically, this experience may serve as another avenue in which people are further excluded and then even less likely to feel that they are a part of and can contribute to that broader collective. These results suggest that finding ways of affirming people as important, contributing members of society, based on whatever they currently do or by merely existing, could have critical consequences for the individual and well as the political system in which they inhabit,” the study authors concluded.

The study contributes to the scientific understanding of the psychological correlates of political participation. However, it should be noted that the design of the study does not allow any causal inferences to be derived from the results.

The paper, “Perceived social contribution and its associations with political participation,” was authored by Ellen C. Reinhart, Monique M. Turner, David M. Markowitz, and Dustin Carnahan.