Personality traits and political participation in Taiwan: a mediation approach

Ching Hsing Wang, Dennis Lu Chung Weng, Chia hung Tsai

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

8 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of personality traits on political participation in Taiwan in an effort to broaden our understanding of this topic in Asia. In contrast to research on other countries, this study finds that personality traits are not directly associated with individual turnout decisions and protest participation in Taiwan. However, personality traits mediate the effects of attitudinal factors on voter turnout and protest participation. Specifically, political interest mediates the effects of extraversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness on voter turnout and protest participation, while strength of partisanship also mediates the effect of extraversion and agreeableness on voter turnout. In contrast to other countries, our findings suggest that political efficacy does not play a mediating role in the relationships between personality traits and political participation in Taiwan. This study indicates the importance of mediation mechanisms in understanding the influence of personality traits on political participation and implies heterogeneous effects for personality traits between countries.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)175-192
Number of pages18
JournalPolitical Science
Volume71
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019 Sept 2

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Sociology and Political Science

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