How does social insurance policy affect citizens' political participation? An empirical research based on policy feedback theory

Abstract The policy feedback theory proposes that policies, besides being outputs of political activities, also function as inputs that shape political behavior and influence citizens. Using the 2019 Chinese Social Survey data, this paper empirically explored the impact of social insurance policies, specifically pension and medical insurance, on citizens' political voting. The study finds that social insurance policies are significantly correlated with political participation, suggesting the potential existence of a policy feedback effect. Further analysis indicated the presence of a resource incentive effect moderated by income and an interpretive effect moderated by education, both varying based on insurance type. As income or education levels rose, the political voting gap between insured and uninsured pension holders widened, particularly in EPI. In contrast, the political voting gap in medical insurance did not increase with income but decreased with education. This paper broadened the understanding of factors influencing political participation, providing empirical evidence for policy feedback theory in China and deepening insights into resource incentives and interpretive effects.