Participation in later life: how civic and political engagement relates to affective well-being
- 1RISE-Health, Competence Centre Active and Healthy Ageing, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto
- 2School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto
- 3Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Porto
Abstract
Inroduction: Population ageing has emerged as one of the major demographic challenges of the 21st century, raising important concerns about how mental health can be sustained in later life. In Europe, increasing longevity intersects with social, economic, and institutional inequalities that shape older adults’ opportunities for well-being beyond the absence of disease. Although civic and political participation is widely promoted within active ageing agendas as a positive resource, it is often conceptualised as a homogeneous phenomenon, overlooking the possibility that different forms of engagement may have distinct psychological implications.
Methods: Using data from Round 11 of the European Social Survey (2023), this cross-sectional study examines adults aged 65 years and older across European countries. Affective well-being was operationalised using an index based on the CES-D8. Civic and political participation was captured through four sub-indices (Dutiful, Activating, Expressive and Cooperative profiles) reflecting the typology proposed by Ekman and Amnå. A multiple linear regression model was estimated, controlling for sociodemographic, economic and health-related factors.
Results: The findings indicate that perceived health and household income are strongly associated with affective well-being. Cooperative participation shows the strongest positive association with affective well-being, followed by Expressive and Dutiful participation. In contrast, Activating participation is negatively associated with affective well-being. Cross-national differences were also observed, broadly following a regional pattern, with higher average levels of affective well-being in Northern and Western Europe compared to Southern and Eastern Europe.
Discussion: Taken together, these results suggest that different forms of civic and political participation show distinct patterns of association with affective well-being. Forms of engagement characterised by social embeddedness, reciprocity, and meaningful interaction appear more consistently linked to higher levels of affective well-being, while more confrontational forms of engagement are negatively associated with affective well-being. This differentiated understanding of participation contributes to ongoing debates on active ageing and highlights the importance of context-sensitive strategies to support meaningful civic engagement and mental health among older adults in Europe.
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BibTeX
@article{silva2026participation,
title = {{Participation in later life: how civic and political engagement relates to affective well-being}},
author = {Joel Bruno da Silva and Leovaldo Alcântara and Teodora Figueiredo and Daniela Melo and Inês Mimoso and Maria Ines Morgado and Joana Carrilho and Luís Midão and Elísio Costa},
journal = {Frontiers in Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpubh.2026.1803318},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1803318/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Participation in later life: how civic and political engagement relates to affective well-being
AU - Joel Bruno da Silva
AU - Leovaldo Alcântara
AU - Teodora Figueiredo
AU - Daniela Melo
AU - Inês Mimoso
AU - Maria Ines Morgado
AU - Joana Carrilho
AU - Luís Midão
AU - Elísio Costa
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/13
JO - Frontiers in Public Health
DO - 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1803318
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1803318/full
AB - Inroduction: Population ageing has emerged as one of the major demographic challenges of the 21st century, raising important concerns about how mental health can be sustained in later life. In Europe, increasing longevity intersects with social, economic, and institutional inequalities that shape older adults’ opportunities for well-being beyond the absence of disease. Although civic and political participation is widely promoted within active ageing agendas as a positive resource, it is often conceptualised as a homogeneous phenomenon, overlooking the possibility that different forms of engagement may have distinct psychological implications. Methods: Using data from Round 11 of the European Social Survey (2023), this cross-sectional study examines adults aged 65 years and older across European countries. Affective well-being was operationalised using an index based on the CES-D8. Civic and political participation was captured through four sub-indices (Dutiful, Activating, Expressive and Cooperative profiles) reflecting the typology proposed by Ekman and Amnå. A multiple linear regression model was estimated, controlling for sociodemographic, economic and health-related factors. Results: The findings indicate that perceived health and household income are strongly associated with affective well-being. Cooperative participation shows the strongest positive association with affective well-being, followed by Expressive and Dutiful participation. In contrast, Activating participation is negatively associated with affective well-being. Cross-national differences were also observed, broadly following a regional pattern, with higher average levels of affective well-being in Northern and Western Europe compared to Southern and Eastern Europe. Discussion: Taken together, these results suggest that different forms of civic and political participation show distinct patterns of association with affective well-being. Forms of engagement characterised by social embeddedness, reciprocity, and meaningful interaction appear more consistently linked to higher levels of affective well-being, while more confrontational forms of engagement are negatively associated with affective well-being. This differentiated understanding of participation contributes to ongoing debates on active ageing and highlights the importance of context-sensitive strategies to support meaningful civic engagement and mental health among older adults in Europe.
SN - 2296-2565
ER -