Labour market precarity and political alienation

Abstract

_{The object of this article is to analyse the relationship between labour market precarity and political attitudes in Poland. I address the following research question: how do people in economically insecure employment differ from other workers in terms of electoral participation, self-reported interest in politics, and adherence to democratic principles? My analyses are based on quantitative data from the sixth wave of the Polish Panel Survey (POLPAN), conducted in 2013 on a nationally representative sample of adults aged 21 and above. The study found strong associations between indicators of labour market precarity observed at the time of the POLPAN survey and the dependent variables. However, most of these relationships disappear in regression models controlling for the other socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents. It appears that the lack of interest in politics and higher scepticism towards democracy among members of the precariat may not be due to labour market insecurity as such, but rather determined by such factors as younger age, a lower level of education, and lower household income.}