Mapping the ‘Participation Gap’: A Comparative Analysis of Migrants' Political Engagement and Participation Patterns in Western Europe

This study shifts the narrative surrounding migrants from viewing them solely as economic contributors to recognizing their political agency, with a focus on immigrant political participation—an often-overlooked dimension of integration. Drawing on data from the European Social Survey (ESS) across 13 Western European countries, the research investigates key questions: What are the political participation patterns among migrants compared to natives? Is there a "participation gap," and how does it vary across countries and forms of political engagement? The findings reveal a nuanced and context-dependent landscape of political participation. While a "participation gap" exists, it is neither uniform nor universal, varying significantly across countries and types of engagement. Migrants' overall political participation is strikingly low in Mediterranean countries like Italy, where restrictive citizenship frameworks act as barriers to integration. In contrast, Scandinavian countries such as Sweden and Finland, with their inclusive institutional frameworks, are found to foster more equitable participation and narrower gaps. Importantly, the study identifies notable variations across different forms of engagement—voting, political party involvement, trade union membership, and protest participation. While institutionalized forms of participation often exhibit wider gaps between migrants and natives, migrants in many countries surpass natives in protest activity. Thus, protest participation emerges as a critical channel for political expression among migrants, particularly in contexts where institutionalized forms of participation are inaccessible or unwelcoming. This highlights the multidimensional nature of migrant political engagement, which extends beyond traditional electoral processes. Additionally, by situating migrant participation relative to native populations and specific national settings, this study advances understanding of the dynamics of political integration. The findings raise important questions about potential regional patterns, such as the inclusive approaches seen in Scandinavian countries and the exclusionary tendencies in Mediterranean contexts. Ultimately, this research challenges narratives of migrant political disengagement and underscores the role of institutional frameworks, citizenship policies, and societal openness in shaping political participation. It contributes to the growing body of quantitative studies on migrant political engagement, advancing integration discourse and shedding light on the broader dynamics of political agency in diverse societies.