Job Insecurity and Political Behavior in Europe

Not only since the most recent economic crisis, job insecurity has turned into a major social issue in many European countries. Among other factors, the growth of temporary work has increased the share of the workforce at constant risk of becoming unemployed. At the same time, political protests, the emergence of populist parties and other signs of disenchantment with mainstream politics have raised public concerns about the political integration of citizens with weak labor market attachments, particularly among the young. Despite these concerns there is strikingly little research on the effects of job insecurity on political behavior. The proposed paper analyses how job insecurity in general and temporary work in particular influence political preferences and voting. Based on comparable survey data it inquires the hypothesis that job insecurity translates into distinct patterns of political behavior. The dependent variables include political participation, policy preferences and vote choice.