An interdisciplinary study examines how work influences political behaviour. Job insecurity and low wages are associated with a lack of trust in political parties and public institutions.
As we have entered the pre-election period and opinion polls are pouring in like hail, bombarding us with forecasts and statistics, everyone seems determined to analyse the psychology of voters’ behaviour. That behaviour—which, as the saying goes about a woman’s heart, is an unfathomable abyss—remains difficult to predict. A popular, albeit highly cynical, saying claims that people «vote with their wallets" or, put differently, that «the wallet determines who governs."
Yet even this explanation is not always sufficient to account for election outcomes. If it were, the 27.5% of the population who, according to the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT), are at risk of poverty or social exclusion would consistently support political parties advocating wealth redistribution and social justice. In reality, citizens vote—or abstain from voting—based on a range of factors that cannot easily be confined to rigid categories.
Moreover, political attitudes are not limited to electoral contests, even though voting is regarded as the defining moment of parliamentary democracy. Politics is also reflected in how people conduct themselves every day at work, in their social relationships, in public spaces, and even within the four walls of their own homes.
Could the work we do—not only our salary, but also our occupation, our skills, and even the way production is organised—influence our political views and perceptions? Empirical evidence suggests that it does. However, these effects are neither linear nor unidirectional.
A recent interdisciplinary comparative study attempts to systematise the relationship between work and politics through a framework of multiple interrelated factors. Although it does not always place its findings along the traditional Left–Right political spectrum, it identifies correlations between workplace characteristics and political variables, leading to a number of broader conclusions.
Job Insecurity and Lack of Trust
One of the study’s findings is that job insecurity and low wages are associated with a lack of trust in political and public institutions. The research evidence also indicates that democratic practices in the workplace (e.g., freedom of association and collective bargaining) are linked to higher levels of political participation outside the workplace.
Another noteworthy finding is the relationship between working hours, work schedule arrangements, and political orientation. For example, it is striking that extended working hours are generally associated with more right-leaning ideological views—a pattern attributed to potential differences across occupational sectors.
The study emphasises that clear correlations between workplace characteristics and political variables do not always exist. Furthermore, the findings may vary from one country to another. Nevertheless, a common thread runs through all the research. What we do every day, for eight or more hours, throughout most of our adult lives, in order to earn a living (or, for those who are more privileged, to enjoy a higher standard of living), shapes us beyond the workplace. Our working conditions—and what we do, or fail to do, to change them—influence our political choices, behaviours, and opinions.
How Work Influences Our Political Attitudes
The study provides an interdisciplinary review of the empirical literature published over the past 25 years in the fields of business administration and political science. It examines how individual workplace experiences—broadly categorised into job content, the work environment, employment characteristics, and social relations at work—are associated with political engagement outside the workplace, including political participation, political attitudes, political trust, and political values.
The findings show that both empowering workplace experiences (e.g., greater use of skills, increased autonomy, higher income, and more frequent social interactions) and experiences associated with dissatisfaction (e.g., greater job or economic insecurity) are linked to higher levels of political participation. However, these experiences differ in their effects on political trust and on political attitudes towards economic and cultural issues.
Declining Trust in Government
The comparative study on politics and work refers to the latest Eurofound survey, Living and Working in Europe. Specifically, it finds that social cohesion, trust in institutions, and political participation are directly affected by the economic hardships experienced by workers.
Low-income workers exhibit significantly lower levels of trust in the news media and lower levels of satisfaction with democracy. In addition, the demographic groups experiencing the greatest financial pressure (those aged 35–49 and 50–65) also report the lowest levels of trust in their national governments.
Greece records one of the lowest levels of trust in government, scoring only 2.5 on a scale from 1 to 10. The only countries with lower scores than Greece are Hungary (2.2) and Bulgaria (2.3). These are also the countries with the lowest real wages in the European Union.
Key Findings
The main findings of the scientific study are summarised in a table that refers readers to the original research articles. The principal conclusions for each category are outlined below.
Political Participation
Work experiences that encourage participation: Jobs that offer opportunities for skill utilisation, autonomy, higher income, and positive social relationships are associated with greater political participation (e.g., voting, political activism, and advocacy for rights).
Example: Employees with greater autonomy or greater opportunities to utilise their skills are more likely to vote and engage in political activism (Godard, 2007; Schur, 2003).
Participation driven by grievances: Experiences of job or economic insecurity also encourage political participation, often through protest activities or support for political change.
Example: Job insecurity is associated with increased participation in protest movements (Azedi, 2023).
