Depression and Political Participation*

Abstract

In this paper, I propose that depression is a political phenomenon insofar as it has political sources and consequences. I then investigate one aspect of this argument—whether depression reduces participation. I hypothesize that individuals with depression lack the motivation and physical capacity to vote and engage in other forms of political participation due to somatic problems and feelings of hopelessness and apathy. Moreover, I examine how depression in adolescence can have downstream consequences for participation in young adulthood. The analyses, using both cross-sectional and longitudinal data, show that voter turnout and other forms of participation decrease as the severity of depressed mood increases. These findings are discussed in light of disability rights and potential efforts to boost participation among this group.

How voter turnout varies between different chronic conditions? A population-based register study

“…According to Ojeda,15 a potential mechanism between depression and turnout relates to motivational issues, namely feelings of apathy and hopelessness as well as lack of energy and other forms of physical incapacities. In our study, the association between turnout and depression was relatively modest.…”

“…This produces a more nuanced picture of the health–turnout relationship, as only a few studies on voter turnout have focused on different chronic conditions. Gollust and Rahn7 analysed the effects of five conditions (diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, asthma and cancer) on voting propensity, and Ojeda15 analysed the extent to which depression has a negative association with turnout.…”

Does Health Affect Party Identification? Evidence from German Panel Data

“…It has been shown that health problems are linked with a decreased propensity to vote (Couture and Breux [2017]; Goerres [2007]; Mattila et al [2013]; Ojeda and Pacheco [2017]), lower levels of political trust and party choice . The effects of health on forms of political participation other than voting seem to be more varied (Ojeda [2015]; Söderlund and Rapeli [2015]).…”

Factors Related to Health Civic Engagement: Results from the 2018 National Survey of Health Attitudes to Understand Progress towards a Culture of Health

“…Finally, consistent with many other studies of civic engagement and political participation, we found that those with higher levels of education and higher income were more likely to engage civically around health. In light of previous research cited above linking civic engagement with individual health (16,47,48)benefits, such findings are an important reminder that the health and well-being benefits of civic engagement do not accrue equitably to all. First, as efforts are underway to advance health equity, these findings further underscore the challenges in engaging Americans in health civic engagement.…”