Healthy voting: The effect of self-reported health on turnout in 30 countries

Mattila Mikko, Peter Söderlund, Wass Hanna, Lauri Rapeli

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    91 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Based on five rounds of European social survey (ESS), we examine both the direct and indirect effect of health, channelled by social connectedness, on turnout in 30 countries. Our analysis is the first attempt to make a comprehensive account of the magnitude of health in electoral participation. The results show that health has an effect on turnout and that it is notably larger among older people. The impact of health is partly mediated by social connectedness, which suggests that attenuated health may weaken an individual's social network which in turn depresses voting.

    Original languageUndefined/Unknown
    Pages (from-to)886–891
    JournalElectoral Studies
    Volume32
    Issue number4
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2013
    MoE publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

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