Long work hours, unsociable work schedules, health, and political participation

Background: It is well-known that under the new economy (globalized, information-based, digitalized, platform) work has become increasingly precarious, threatening workers’ financial security and wellbeing, particularly for those from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Less well known is that employment precarity is also manifested in when (timing) and how many hours (time) people work. The number of work hours is rising and work schedules have become more unsociable (evenings, nights, and weekends), unpredictable, and precarious (rotating, variable, on-call shifts) in the 24/7 economy. Such work conditions have detrimental health impacts on workers and their offspring. They also raise concerns about their potential negative impact on workers’ time resources for political engagement. However, few studies have examined whether and how long work hours and unsociable schedules influence political participation

Aims: This interdisciplinary project aims to examine the link between precarious and unsociable work time/timing and political participation and to shed light on the underpinning mechanisms (e.g., health and social engagement) and moderating factors of sociological significance (e.g., gender and socioeconomic status). We analyse nationally representative large samples and cross-sectional and longitudinal datasets.

The project includes the following three studies:

1. Work hours and work schedules and electoral participation in Europe.

This study was completed with a peer reviewed publication

Jianghong Li, Heiko Giebler, Rebecca Wetter, Hannah Kenyon Lair and Julia Ellingwood.  Unequal electoral participation: The negative effects of long work hours and unsociable work schedules in Europe. European Journal of Politics and Gender  (published online ahead of print 2022). Retrieved Sep 20, 2022, from https://bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/view/journals/ejpg/aop/article-10.1332-251510821X16602019188175/article-10.1332-251510821X16602019188175.xml

2. Health and political interest and participation in Germany

This study aims to extend the sparse longitudinal analysis of effects of health on political participation by analysing changes in health status (physical and mental) and specific diagnosed diseases and their impact on political interest and participation in Germany, using the longitudinal data from the German Socioeconomic Panel study (SOEP) with a more causally-rigorous approach.

Authors: Jan P Heisig, Jianghong Li, Manuel Bosancianu, Jonas Dix, Kübra Akkaya.

Ongoing: preliminary analysis completed and further analysis is needed.

3. A 24 hours/7 days economy and electoral participation in the UK.

The study attempts to address two research questions: Are long work hours and unsociable work schedules associated with lower political participation? 2) Does poor health and social isolation mediate this association? We analyzed four waves of the UKHLS data, including waves 2, 8, 10 and 12 (years 2010, 2017, 2018, and 2019).  The study is at the final analysis stage.

Authors:   Jianghong Li, Heiko Giebler, Kübra Akkaya, Rebecca Wetter.