latent class analysis; political participation; Sociology and Political Science
Abstract :
[en] Most studies of political participation have either focused on specific political behaviours or combined several behaviours into additive scales of institutional versus non-institutional participation. Through a multi-group latent class analysis of participation in 15 different political actions, conducted among citizens from four Western European countries, we identified five empirically grounded participant types that differ in their political engagement, socio-demographic characteristics and political attitudes: ‘voter specialists’, ‘expressive voters’, ‘online participants’, ‘all-round activists’ and ‘inactives’. While the same participant types were identified in all four countries, the proportion of citizens assigned to each type varies across countries. Our results challenge the claim that some citizens specialize in protest politics at the expense of electoral politics. Furthermore, our typological approach challenges previous findings on the individual characteristics associated with political (in)action.
Disciplines :
Sociology & social sciences
Author, co-author :
Rojon, Sebastien ; CEVIPOL, Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
Pankowska, Paulina K.; Department of Sociology, Universiteit Utrecht, Netherlands
Vittori, Davide; CEVIPOL, Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
PAULIS, Emilien ; University of Luxembourg > Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences (FHSE) > Department of Humanities (DHUM) > Philosophy
External co-authors :
no
Language :
English
Title :
Comparing political participation profiles in four Western European countries
Publication date :
2024
Journal title :
European Journal of Political Research
ISSN :
0304-4130
eISSN :
1475-6765
Publisher :
John Wiley and Sons Inc
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Funders :
H2020 European Research Council
Funding text :
This research was made possible by two projects financed by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program: POLITICIZE (grant number 772695) and Polpart (grant number 339829).
Altman, D. (2013). Does an active use of mechanisms of direct democracy impact electoral participation? evidence from the US states and the swiss cantons. Local Government Studies, 39(6), 739–755.
Alvarez, R. M., Levin, I., & Núñez, L. (2017). The four faces of political participation in Argentina: Using latent class analysis to study political behaviour. The Journal of Politics, 79(4), 1386–1402.
Alvarez, R. M., Katz, G., Levin, I., & Núñez, L. (2021). Conventional and unconventional participation in Latin America: A hierarchical latent class approach. Political Science Research and Methods, 9(4), 878–888.
Barnes, S., & Kaase, M. (1979). Political action: Mass participation in five Western democracies. Sage.
Benson, M., & Rochon, T. R. (2004). Interpersonal trust and the magnitude of protest: A micro and macro level approach. Comparative Political Studies, 37(4), 435–457.
Bernhagen, P., & Marsh, M. (2007). Voting and protesting: Explaining citizen participation in old and new European democracies. Democratisation, 14(1), 44–72.
Blais, A. (2014). Why is turnout so low in Switzerland? Comparing the attitudes of Swiss and German citizens towards electoral democracy. Swiss Political Science Review, 20(4), 520–528.
Blais, A., & Achen, C. H. (2019). Civic duty and voter turnout. Political Behaviour, 41(2), 473–497.
Blais, A., & Rubenson, D. (2013). The source of turnout decline: New values or new contexts? Comparative Political Studies, 46(1), 95–117.
Bolck, A., Croon, M. A., & Hagenaars, J. A. (2004). Estimating latent structure models with categorical variables: One-step versus three-step estimators. Political Analysis, 12, 3–27
Bolzendahl, C., & Coffé, H. (2013). Are ‘good’ citizens ‘good’ participants? Testing citizenship norms and political participation across 25 nations. Political Studies, 61, 45–65.
Brady, H. E., Verba, S., & Schlozman, K. L. (1995). Beyond SES: A resource model of political participation. American Political Science Review, 89(2), 271–294.
Copeland, L. (2014). Conceptualizing political consumerism: How citizenship norms differentiate boycotting from buycotting. Political Studies, 62, 172–186.
Dalton, R. J. (2008). Citizenship norms and the expansion of political participation. Political Studies, 56(1), 76–98.
Dalton, R. J., Burklin, W. P., & Drummond, A. (2001). Public opinion and direct democracy. Journal of Democracy, 12(4), 141–153.
Ezrow, L., & Xezonakis, G. (2016). Satisfaction with democracy and voter turnout: A temporal perspective. Party Politics, 22(1), 3–14.
Galais, C. (2014). Don't vote for them: The effects of the Spanish indignant movement on attitudes about voting. Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties, 24(3), 334–350.
Goodman, L. A. (2002). Latent class analysis: The empirical study of latent types. latent variables and latent structures. In J. A. Hagenaars & A. L. McCutcheon (Eds.), Applied latent class analysis (pp. 3–55). Cambridge University Press.
Grasso, M. T., Farrall, S., Gray, E., Hay, C., & Jennings, W. (2018). Socialization and generational political trajectories: An age. period and cohort analysis of political participation in Britain. Journal of Elections, Public Opinion, and Parties, 29(2), 199–221.
Gurr, T. R. (1970). Why men rebel. Princeton University Press.
Harris, F., & Gillion, D. (2010). Expanding the possibilities: Reconceptualizing political participation as a toolbox. In Oxford handbook of American elections and behaviour. (pp. 144–161). Oxford University Press.
Hay, C. (2007). Why we hate politics. Polity Press.
Hooghe, M., & Kern, A. (2017). The tipping point between stability and decline: Trends in voter turnout, 1950–1980–2012. European Political Science, 16, 535–552.
Hooghe, M., & Marien, S. (2013). A comparative analysis of the relation between political trust and forms of political participation in Europe. European Societies, 15(1), 131–152.
Hooghe, M., Marien, S., & Pauwels, T. (2011). Where do distrusting voters turn if there is no viable exit or voice option? The impact of political trust on electoral behaviour in the Belgian regional elections of June 2009. Government and Opposition, 46(2), 245–273.
Huff, C., & Tingley, D. (2015). Who are these people? Evaluating the demographic characteristics and political preferences of MTurk survey respondents. Research & Politics, 2(3), 1–12.
Hutter, S., & Kriesi, H. (2013). Movements of the left, movements of the right reconsidered. In J. Van Stekelenburg, C. Roggeband, & B. Klandermans (Eds.), The future of social movement research: Dynamics. mechanisms. and processes (pp. 281–298). University of Minnesota Press.
Inglehart, R. (1997). Modernization and post-modernization: Cultural, economic and political change in 43 societies. Princeton University Press.
Inglehart, R., & Catterberg, G. (2002). Trends in political action: The developmental trend and the post-honeymoon decline. International Journal of Comparative Sociology, 43(3-5), 300–316.
Jeroense, T., & Spierings, N. (2023). Political participation profiles. West European Politics, 46(1), 1–23.
Johann, D., Steinbrecher, M., & Thomas, K. (2020). Channels of participation: Political participant types and personality. PLoS ONE, 15(10), E0240671.
Kankaraš, M., Moors, G., & Vermunt, J. K. (2018). Testing for measurement invariance with latent class analysis. In E. Davidov, P. Schmidt, J. Billiet, & B. Meuleman (Eds.), Cross-Cultural Analysis (pp. 393–419). Routledge.
Keating, A., & Melis, G. (2017). Social media and youth political engagement: Preaching to the converted or providing a new voice for youth? The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 19(4), 877–894.
Kern, A., Marien, S., & Hooghe, M. (2015). Economic crisis and levels of political participation in Europe (2002–2010): The role of resources and grievances. West European Politics, 38(3), 465–490.
Koc-Michalska, K., & Lilleker, D. G. (2019). Political communities on Facebook across 28 European countries. Questions de communication, 36, 245–265.
Krouwel, A., & Lucardie, P. (2008). Waiting in the wings: New parties in the Netherlands. Acta Politica, 43(2), 278–307.
Ladner, A., & Fiechter, J. (2012). The influence of direct democracy on political interest, electoral turnout and other forms of citizens’ participation in Swiss municipalities. Local Government Studies, 38(4), 437–459.
Marien, S., Hooghe, M., & Quintelier, E. (2010). Inequalities in non-institutionalised forms of political participation: A multi-level analysis of 25 countries. Political Studies, 58(1), 187–213.
Martin, A. (2012). Political participation among the young in Australia: Testing Dalton's good citizen thesis. Australian Journal of Political Science, 47(2), 211–226.
McAdam, D., & Tarrow, S. (2010). Ballots and barricades: On the reciprocal relationship between elections and social movements. Perspectives on Politics, 8(2), 529–542.
McAdam, D., Tarrow, S., & Tilly, C. (2003). Dynamics of contention. Social Movement Studies, 2(1), 99–102.
Milbrath, L. W. (1965). Political participation: How and why do people get involved in politics. Rand McNally.
Norris, P. (1999). Critical citizens: Global support for Democratic government. Oxford University Press.
Norris, P., Walgrave, S., & Van Aelst, P. (2005). Who demonstrates? Antistate rebels, conventional participants, or everyone? Comparative Politics, 37(2), 189–206.
Oser, J. (2017). Assessing how participators combine acts in their “political tool kits”: A person-centred measurement approach for analysing citizen participation. Social Indicators Research, 133, 235–258.
Oser, J. (2021). Protest as one political act in individuals’ participation repertoires: Latent class analysis and political participant types. American Behavioural Scientist, 66(4), 00027642211021633.
Oser, J., Hooghe, M., & Marien, S. (2013). Is online participation distinct from offline participation? A latent class analysis of participation types and their stratification. Political Research Quarterly, 66(1), 91–101.
Oser, J., Leighley, J. E., & Winneg, K. M. (2014). Participation, online and otherwise: What's the difference for policy preferences? Social Science Quarterly, 95(5), 1259–1277.
Park, J., & Yu, H. T. (2018). Recommendations on the sample sizes for multilevel latent class models. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 78(5), 737–761.
Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: America's declining social capital. In L. Crothers & C. Lockhart (Eds.), Culture and politics (pp. 223–243). Palgrave Macmillan.
Rojon, S., & Pilet, J. B. (2021). Engaged, indifferent, sceptical, or critical? Disentangling attitudes towards local deliberative mini-publics in four Western European democracies. Sustainability, 13(19), 10518.
Rüdig, W. (2010). Boon or burden? Antiwar protest and political parties. In S. Walgrave & D. Rucht (Eds.), The world says no to war: Demonstrations against the war on Iraq (pp. 141–168). University of Minnesota Press.
Saunders, C. (2014). Anti-politics in action? Measurement dilemmas in the study of unconventional political participation. Political Research Quarterly, 67(3), 574–588.
Schussman, A., & Soule, S. A. (2005). Process and protest: Accounting for individual protest participation. Social Forces, 84(2), 1083–1108.
Simmons, A. D., & Bobo, L. D. (2015). Can non-full-probability internet surveys yield useful data? A comparison with full-probability face-to-face surveys in the domain of race and social inequality attitudes. Sociological Methodology, 45(1), 357–387.
Smets, K., & Van Ham, C. (2013). The embarrassment of riches? A meta-analysis of individual-level research on voter turnout. Electoral Studies, 32(2), 344–359.
Steenvoorden, E. (2018). One of a kind, or all of one kind? Groups of political participants and their distinctive outlook on society. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 29(4), 740–755.
Stolle, D., & Hooghe, M. (2011). Shifting inequalities: Patterns of exclusion and inclusion in emerging forms of political participation. European Societies, 13(1), 119–142.
Stolle, D., Hooghe, M., & Micheletti, M. (2005). Politics in the supermarket: Political consumerism as a form of political participation. International Political Science Review, 26(3), 245–269.
Tarrow, S. (2011). Power in movement: Social movements and contentious politics. Cornell University Press.
Teorell, J., Torcal, M., & Montero, J. R. (2007). Political participation: Mapping the terrain. In J. W. van Deth, J. R. Montero, & A. Westholm (Eds.), Citizenship and involvement in European democracies: A comparative analysis (pp. 334–357). Routledge.
Theocharis, Y., & Van Deth, J. W. (2018). The continuous expansion of citizen participation: A new taxonomy. European Political Science Review, 10(1), 139–163.
Theocharis, Y., de Moor, J., & van Deth, J. W. (2021). Digitally networked participation and lifestyle politics as new modes of political participation. Policy & Internet, 13(1), 30–53.
Torcal, M., Rodon, T., & Hierro, M. J. (2016). Word on the street: The persistence of leftist-dominated protest in Europe. West European Politics, 39(2), 326–350.
Van Biezen, I., Mair, P., & Poguntke, T. (2012). Going, going, gone? The decline of party membership in contemporary Europe. European Journal of Political Research, 51(1), 24–56.
Van der Meer, T. W., Van Deth, J. W., & Scheepers, P. L. (2009). The politicized participant: Ideology and political action in 20 democracies. Comparative Political Studies, 42(11), 1426–1457.
Van Deth, J. W. (2014). A conceptual map of political participation. Acta Politica, 49(3), 349–367.
Van Elsas, E. J., Miltenburg, E. M., & van der Meer, T. W. (2016). If I recall correctly. An event history analysis of forgetting and recollecting past voting behaviour. Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties, 26(3), 253–272.
Van Ingen, E., & Van der Meer, T. (2016). Schools or pools of democracy? A longitudinal test of the relation between civic participation and political socialization. Political Behaviour, 38(1), 83–103.
Verba, S., & Nie, N. H. (1972). Participation in America: Social equality and political democracy. Harper & Row.
Vergeer, M., & Hermans, L. (2013). Campaigning on Twitter: Microblogging and online social networking as campaign tools in the 2010 general elections in the Netherlands. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 18(4), 399–419.
Vermunt, J. K. (2010). Latent class modelling with covariates: Two improved three-step approaches. Political Analysis, 18(4), 450–469.
Weller, B. E., Bowen, N. L., & Faubert, S. J. (2020). Latent class analysis: A guide to best practice. Journal of Black Psychology, 46(4), 287–311.
Whiteley, P. F. (2011). Is the party over? The decline of party activism and membership across the democratic world. Party Politics, 17(1), 21–44.