Does Union Membership Matter? Political Participation, Attachment to Democracy and Generational Change

Abstract Purpose: We examine whether membership of a trade union enhances an individual’s democratic orientation and behaviour such as political activism and beliefs in the democratic system. Our main theoretical argument... [ view full abstract ]

Abstract

Purpose: We examine whether membership of a trade union enhances an individual’s democratic orientation and behaviour such as political activism and beliefs in the democratic system. Our main theoretical argument is that trade unions and union membership are more likely to develop in workers the capacities and skills to participate as citizens in the democratic process than workers in non-union environments. We also test for differences in political activism and commitment to democracy across generations.

Methodology: We test our argument using data from 11 European countries and three waves of the European Social Survey from 1981 to 2008. The number of respondents for these countries across the three waves is 42,774.

Findings: Overall the results show a consistent and significant positive relationship between union membership and levels of political participation and commitment to democracy. Union members are more likely to engage in political activities and hold more positive attitudes towards democracy than non-union respondents across the eleven countries in the study. A notable trend is that the positive gap in political participation levels between union and non-union workers has tended to decline over time.

Practical Implications: It appears that the effects of union membership for political participation and attitudes to democracy, though still significant, are less salient for the 80s generation.