The nature of party membership is changing. Many parties are introducing new affiliation options, including registered party sympathizers, cyber-members and registered primary voters. They potentially make it even easier for party supporters to acquire some sort of affiliation status, one that keeps them in regular contact with the party even though they are not formal members. This paper explores the implications of these variations in party affiliation, both at the party and the individual levels. Specifically, at the aggregate level, we ask whether party affiliation rules affect patterns of partisan participation and civic and political attitudes of citizens. At the individual level, we investigate how individual affiliation choices affect participatory behaviour. Our analyses draw on the PPDB database, recent surveys of party members and the European Social Survey. We tackle a broader question: Are new forms of individual linkage helping parties to offset the effects of declining membership and activism?
