Loneliness, Political Discontent, and Political Participation

• In Event: (De)Mobilizing the Alienated and Discontent

Abstract

The recent visit by the U.S. Surgeon General to Duke, as part of a national tour addressing loneliness – a public health crisis declared in May – marks a notable shift in understanding loneliness from a private matter to one that is of public concern with societal implications (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2023). In response, Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) proposed Congressional involvement by introducing legislation to create an Office of Social Connection Policy within the White House to develop guidelines for social connection (Murphy 2023). These recent developments reflect the increasing importance of loneliness in the policy sphere, prompting questions regarding the demographics susceptible to its effects, and the representation of lonely individuals’ interests in policy making. However, very few studies have examined loneliness in political science. Thus, this study bridges a crucial research gap by investigating the role of loneliness and its relationship with political participation.
Existing studies on loneliness find that loneliness is more likely to motivate citizens to participate in socially based modes of participation while less likely to induce participation in individually based political activities (Langenkamp 2021). However, a recent study finds that loneliness and participation does not necessarily follow the same patterns in the U.S. (Bae 2023). This study extends upon the previous literature by utilizing longitudinal data to explore the link between loneliness and political participation.
Further, this study examines the mechanism through which political discontent mediates how loneliness is associated with participation. Loneliness is associated with a decrease in interpersonal trust and that qualitative aspects of social relationships are associated with populist voting and nonvoting tendencies (Langenkamp & Bienstman 2022). Yet existing frameworks explaining the relationship between loneliness and political participation have not entertained the role of political discontent or grievances. Using longitudinal data, I test my theoretical claims for the grievance model of loneliness - a novel and alternative explanation to existing expectations explaining that loneliness is more likely to develop a positive relationship with modes of participation that create social incentives to participate.

Author

• Suhyen Bae, Duke University