Moving through the political participation hierarchy: a focus on personal values

This study empirically explores the determinants of political participation. Using data from the European Social Survey, we investigate the relationship between political participation and personal values, using the Schwartz (1992) values inventory. A political participation hierarchy is theorized, and activities are categorized into four levels of participation (none, weak, medium and strong), based on the cost of participating and how unconventional the activity is. Empirical analysis points to individuals who are more open to change and more self-transcendent, being more likely to participate. Sub-sample analysis, contrasting East and West Europe, suggests that the role for personal values is more subdued in the East, with respect to moving individuals from not participating to at least voting. Furthermore, the use of a generalized ordered logit model in this study illustrates the complex nature of many of the determinants of political participation. In particular, we find that the influence of the majority of individual characteristics is not monotonic in nature, as you move up through the political participation hierarchy. These findings are important for researchers and policy-makers who may be interested in understanding determinants of and/or enhancing the level of political participation in an economy.