Political Meaning Increases Political Interest and Participation

• In Event: The Psychology of Political Participation

Abstract

Some people find politics immensely interesting and worth participating in; others do not. To explain this divide, I introduce the concept of political meaning, referring to the particular sources of meaning that individuals do (or do not) derive from politics. New experimental evidence shows that political meaning can play a central role in political interest and participation. In one set of studies, I solicit information from participants about what they find meaningful outside of politics, and then use on-the-fly treatments to connect their responses to politics. These treatments lead people comparatively disinterested in politics to become more interested in politics and policy. In another set of studies, I show that cuing people to dwell on what they find meaningful in politics increases their willingness to wait in line to vote. Taken together, these studies offer a new way of understanding---and increasing---political interest and participation.

Author

• Ethan Porter, George Washington University