Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/240430 
Year of Publication: 
2021
Series/Report no.: 
WWZ Working Paper No. 2021/03
Publisher: 
University of Basel, Center of Business and Economics (WWZ), Basel
Abstract: 
Elections constitute the essential element of democracy, yet surprisingly little is known about their immediate consequences for individual well-being. Cross-country empirical evidence is particularly absent for the campaign period leading up to elections. While elections as a process allow citizens to contribute to democratic quality, they are also intrinsically conflictual and require voters to exert effort to make informed decisions. To measure the aggregate changes in well-being along the entirety of the electoral process, I use survey data from before and after 148 national elections in 24 European countries between 1989 and 2019. Respondents interviewed in the months preceding election day report significantly lower levels of life satisfaction than their compatriots asked the same calendar week but in years without elections. Once voting has taken place, aggregate well-being immediately returns to its regular average. Exploratory analyses suggest that partisan conflict and social pressures regarding democratic participation may play a role in explaining the reduction in life satisfaction before elections.
Subjects: 
elections
well-being
life satisfaction
election campaigns
electoral systems
political polarization
eurobarometer
JEL: 
D72
D91
I31
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size
5.87 MB





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.