Life satisfaction and the conventionality of political participation: The moderation effect of post-materialist value orientation

• Published in: International political science review Vol. 44; no. 2; pp. 157 - 177
• Main Authors: Cheng, Edmund W, Chung, Hiu-Fung, Cheng, Hoi-wa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01-03-2023; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Action; Causality; Citizen participation; Elections; Life satisfaction; Moderation; Political participation; Propensity; Radicalism; Strikes; Value orientations; Values; Hong Kong China; China; protest; Hong Kong; political participation; World Values Survey; post-materialism; Life satisfaction
• ISSN: 0192-5121; 1460-373X
• DOI: 10.1177/01925121211006567

Does life satisfaction (LS) predict people’s likelihood of participating in politics? Although the relationship between LS and political participation (PP) has been widely debated, its correlation and causality remain inconclusive. We contribute to the literature by exploring the moderation effect of post-materialist value orientation. By conceptualizing the conventionality of PP as a continuous spectrum, we suggest a new typology beyond the dichotomous understanding. Seventh-wave data from the World Values Survey in Hong Kong indicate that individuals who are more dissatisfied with their lives are more likely to engage in radicalized actions such as strikes and boycotts. This negative relationship is particularly strong among people with a post-materialist orientation, yet LS is not related to electoral participation and normalized actions, including peaceful demonstrations commonly regarded as ‘unconventional’ in previous studies. Furthermore, the results of propensity score matching reinforce the causal claim that LS predicts radicalized action negatively.