Testing the Mediation Effect of Political Efficacy on the relationship between Political Participation and Electoral Participation.

Abstract

This study explores voting behaviour by examining the intricate relationships between alternative political participation, electoral participation, and the role of political efficacy. This paper looks at the voting turnout of the last national elections in Germany. Through quantitative (logistic) regression analysis with German data from the European Social Survey, it investigates how political participation and electoral participation interact and whether political efficacy serves as a mediating variable. The findings reveal that while political efficacy does play a role, its mediation effect is not as strong as the direct effect of alternative political participation on electoral participation. Consequently, political efficacy is not identified as the primary mechanism linking political participation to electoral participation, suggesting that other factors may be more influential in this dynamic.