Participation in later life: how civic and political engagement relates to affective well-being

InroductionPopulation 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.MethodsUsing 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.ResultsThe 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.DiscussionTaken 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.