Life Satisfaction as a Buffer of the Relationship Between Corruption Perception and Political Participation

Abstract

The present article aimed at exploring the effect of corruption perception on political participation and the moderating role of life satisfaction on this relationship. To accomplish these objectives, we collected both survey and experimental data. In Study 1, corruption perception, life satisfaction, and political participation were all measured using self-report scales. The results indicated that corruption perception was negatively associated with political participation, and that life satisfaction moderated the relationship between corruption perception and political participation. In Study 2, corruption perception was manipulated by placing respondents in either a high-corruption or a low-corruption condition with subliminal priming. Compared with the high-corruption condition, the respondents primed by the low-corruption condition reported greater political participation. Furthermore, corruption perception hampered political participation only when life satisfaction was low. The results of the two studies confirmed that corruption perception attenuated political participation and that life satisfaction served as an appraisal buffer to alleviate this effect. The implications of the findings are discussed.

Perceived Corruption and Individuals’ Life Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Institutional Trust

“…This research indicates that there is a negative association between the subjective experience of corruption and individuals' levels of life satisfaction (Helliwell 2006;Rothstein 2010;Wu and Zhu 2016;Zheng et al 2016). For instance, using cross-national data from 68 different countries, Tavits (2008) demonstrated that individuals tend to report higher levels of happiness whenamong other factorsthe government performs well (i.e., the levels of corruption are lower).…”

“…Corruption is a barrier to human development that degrades the quality of institutions and increases economic inequality (Tan et al 2016;Zheng et al 2016). It distorts public decision making, penalizes innovation, and discourages investments (Akçay 2006;Kaufmann and Wei 1999;Murphy et al 1993).…”

Není korupce jako korupce: vnímání a zkušenost ve vztahu k politické participaci

“…Tyto teoretické argumenty, ať už o negativním, anebo pozitivním efektu korupce, jenž vede k nízkému zájmu participovat v rámci politického systému, či naopak je impulsem k mobilizaci, byly a jsou neustále ověřovány. V odborné literatuře sice převažují výzkumy, ve kterých korupce odrazuje od zájmu občanů politicky participovat (Zheng et al 2017;Carreras, Vera 2018;Costas--Pérez 2014;Hooghe, Quintelier 2014;Stockemer, La Montagne, Scruggs 2013), najdou se ale i práce, kde tento fenomén je naopak tím, co občany politicky mobilizuje (Navot, Beeri 2017;Stockemer, Calca 2013;Escaleras, Calcagno, Shughart 2012).…”

“…Byl tak vysledován odrazující efekt na občany v případě vnímaní korupce u politiků, ačkoliv jen u tří regresních modelů. Výzkum proto jen částečně přispěl do převládající debaty, že vnímání korupce má negativní dopad na politickou participaci (Zheng et al 2017;Carreras, Vera 2018;Costas-Pérez 2014;Hooghe, Quintelier 2014;Stockemer, La Montagne, Scruggs 2013). Zároveň se také projevil mobilizující efekt v případě korupční zkušenosti.…”

Three essays on the use of neural networks for financial prediction

“…2016) study the factors that explain the variation in people's perceptions of anti-corruption efficacy. Finally,Zheng, Liu, Huang and Tan (2017) found a negative effect of corruption perception on political participation. Other studies measure corruption in a variety of ways, including surveys of bribes that question possible bribepayers and compare the estimated bribe with the reported costs of public goods, structural equations models, the analysis of noncompliance by public officials as compared to noncompliance within the general population, and the number of crimes against public administration officials (Del Monte and Papagni, 2007; Neiva de Figueiredo, 2013; Olken, 2007).…”