How Different Forms of Health Matter to Political Participation

Abstract

Physical and mental health is known to have wide influence over most aspects of social life-be it schooling and employment or marriage and broader social engagement-but has received limited attention in explaining different forms of political participation. We analyze a unique dataset with a rich array of objective measures of cognitive and physical well-being and two objective measures of political participation, voting and contributing money to campaigns and parties. For voting, each aspect of health has a powerful effect on par with traditional predictors of participation such as education. In contrast, health has little to no effect on making campaign contributions. We recommend additional attention to the multifaceted affects of health on different forms of political participation.

Keywords: Health; campaign contribution; voter turnout.

Figure 1. Marginal Effects of Health on Voting

Note: Based on Table 1 probit models for full sample. Each point represents the marginal effects of moving an independent variable from its 25th percentile value to its 75th percentile value. Error bars represent 95 percent confidence intervals.

Figure 2. Marginal Effects on Contributing

Note: Based on Table 2 probit models for full sample. Each point represents the marginal effects of moving an independent variable from its 25th percentile value to its 75^th percentile value. Error bars represent 95 percent confidence intervals.