Cited by 56Electoral Systems and Political ParticipationPsychological Well-being and Life SatisfactionPolitics and Society in Latin America

The Link Between Voting and Life Satisfaction in Latin America

Open access
Weitz-Shapiro, Rebecca, Winters, Matthew S.·2011·Latin American Politics and Society

Abstract

What is the relationship between voting and individual life satisfaction in Latin America? While studies of Western Europe suggest that voters are happier than nonvoters, this relationship has not been explored in the younger democracies of the developing world, including those of Latin America. Using multilevel regression models to examine individual-level survey data, this study shows a positive correlation between voting and happiness in the region, noting, however, that the relationship is attenuated in those countries that have enforced compulsory voting. We then explore the causal direction of this relationship: while the existing literature points to voting as a possible determinant of individual happiness, it is also possible that happier individuals are more likely to vote. Three different strategies are used to disentangle this relationship. On balance, the evidence suggests that individual happiness is more likely to be a cause rather than an effect of voting in Latin America.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1111/j.1548-2456.2011.00135.x

Cites

54 of 54 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

We couldn’t retrieve this paper’s full text, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

1 of the 55 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Weitz-Shapiro, R., & Winters, M. S.
Affiliations
  • Brown University (US)
  • University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US)
Venue
Latin American Politics and Society
Published
2011
Volume
53
Issue
04
Pages
101-126
ISSN
  • 1531-426X (ISSN-L)
  • 1548-2456
OpenAlex
W3125204018
Cited by
56
References
55
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 2
FWCI
19.87
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Latin American Politics and Society (publishedVersion)
  • SSRN Electronic Journal (acceptedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Electoral Systems and Political Participation
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Politics and Society in Latin America
Keywords
voting, life satisfaction, happiness, compulsory voting, voter turnout, causal direction, new democracies, Latin America, political participation

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review