![](/sites/default/files/styles/news_header_xxl/public/uploaded_images/neomaresearch_andretti_efficacite-politique_2026.png?itok=79QfF2Js) [ Our Research ](https://neoma-bs.com/neoma-s-world?cat=our-research) { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://neoma-bs.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "NEOMA\u2019s\u0020world", "item": "https://neoma-bs.com/neoma-s-world" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Why\u0020Are\u0020Lower\u002Dincome\u0020Groups\u0020Less\u0020Engaged\u0020In\u0020Political\u0020Life\u003F", "item": "https://neoma-bs.com/node/10101593.md" } ] } - [Home](https://neoma-bs.com/) - [NEOMA’s world](https://neoma-bs.com/neoma-s-world) - Why Are Lower-income Groups Less Engaged In Political Life? # Why are lower-income groups less engaged in political life? Published on 15/09/2026 [ View profile on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://neoma-bs.com/news/why-are-lower-income-groups-less-engaged-political-life) [ View profile on X-twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?urlhttps://neoma-bs.com/news/why-are-lower-income-groups-less-engaged-political-life) [ View profile on Linkedin](https://linkedin.com/shareArticle?url=https://neoma-bs.com/news/why-are-lower-income-groups-less-engaged-political-life) [ View profile on Email](mailto:?subject=https://neoma-bs.com/news/why-are-lower-income-groups-less-engaged-political-life) [ View profile on Copy](javascript:void(0);https://neoma-bs.com/news/why-are-lower-income-groups-less-engaged-political-life) **Political participation varies widely across social groups. Yet an international study co‑authored by** [**NEOMA researcher Bernardo Andretti**](https://neoma-bs.fr/professeurs/andretti-bernardo) **shows that, beyond material barriers, one psychological obstacle often dominates: political efficacy, the belief that “my voice doesn’t matter.” The research also finds that well‑targeted campaigns can significantly boost political engagement.** In many countries, lower‑income and disadvantaged populations are less involved in political life. This is a worrying trend in democracies where different social groups do not always defend the same interests or priorities. Reduced participation among certain segments of society means their concerns exert less influence on governmental decision‑making, thereby creating potential inequalities in political outcomes. The differences observed between social classes are often attributed to material barriers, such as lack of time, resources, education or access to institutions. But are these factors really enough to explain why some people feel that politics is not “meant for people like them”? ## Global pattern of disengagement Researchers at Oxford University in the UK, FGV-EBAPE in Brazil and NEOMA in France set out to uncover the reasons for this disengagement, analysing responses from over 70,000 people in 47 countries. They show that people with low socio-economic status are less involved in many types of political engagement, including voting, signing petitions, boycotts, demonstrations, and online forms of political mobilisation. And it is a global pattern found in 91% of the countries in the study, both in the Global North and Global South. The researchers also ran a series of experiments asking participants to picture themselves in more or less advantaged social positions. The findings show that participants who imagined themselves in an affluent position were more likely to engage politically, while those who pictured themselves in a more disadvantaged situation expressed lower levels of engagement, irrespective of their objectively measured socioeconomic status. Among all the indicators analysed, the level of education stood out as one of the most powerful predictors of political participation. ## Exploring the origins of political efficacy The study also identifies one of the major reasons for this participation gap: a psychological factor known as political efficacy, meaning the degree to which people feel their voice genuinely counts and that they can influence political outcomes. This feeling may even play a greater role in political engagement than trust in institutions or perceptions of electoral fairness. Importantly, the findings indicate to the scientists that political efficacy cannot be explained by individual traits or structural barriers. Instead, it appears to be shaped by a combination of social perception and social reality. In the favelas of Rio de Janeiro After identifying the link between social class and political engagement at scale, the researchers examined whether it was possible to influence political efficacy, and whether this shift would translate into higher political engagement. They carried out field experiments in Brazil, where social inequalities are high and political polarisation continues to deepen. One of the experiments took place in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro between the first and second rounds of the 2022 Brazilian presidential election between Lula and Jair Bolsonaro. Individuals of low socioeconomic status were shown short messages reminding them that their vote could influence political decisions, and, crucially, that people “like them” had the power to act and change political outcomes. Following this intervention, more residents of the favelas were willing to accept a folder containing information on how to participate more actively in political life. A second, post‑election study confirmed the same pattern, pointing to a rise in political engagement independent of the electoral context. ## Rethinking democratic inequalities These findings should not be interpreted as suggesting that a simple message can erase democratic inequalities. Material barriers – such as social and economic insecurity, access to institutions or time availability – play a major role in political participation. The study shows, however, that the way individuals perceive their own political legitimacy also matters. The authors argue that this work opens up practical pathways for citizen‑engagement campaigns, NGOs and public institutions. Rather than reading disengagement as indifference or apathy, they urge us to understand the diminished political participation of lower-income groups as the end result of a sense of political exclusion. Because in a democracy, feeling that your voice matters is sometimes just as important as the right to participate. ## Find out more Furst, R., Vieites, Y., [**Andretti, B.**](https://neoma-bs.fr/professeurs/andretti-bernardo) (2026). Unequal participation: How low socioeconomic status hinders political engagement. *Journal of Experimental Social Psychology*, 125, 104922. 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He is also a visiting scholar at Imperial Business School, and an honorary Research Associate at the Oxford Covid-19 Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT) at the University of Oxford. His primary research area is consumer psychology. Within ](https://neoma-bs.com/professors/andretti-bernardo) { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "headline": "Why are lower-income groups less engaged in political life?", "description": "A study reveals that, beyond material obstacles, the feeling that “my voice counts” plays a major role.", "image": "https://neoma-bs.com/sites/default/files/uploaded_images/neomaresearch_andretti_efficacite-politique_2026.png", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "NEOMA Business School", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://neoma-bs.com/sites/default/files/uploaded_images/neoma_logo.svg" } }, "datePublished": "2026-09-15", "dateModified": "2026-09-16" }