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Insufficient sleep reduces voting and other prosocial behaviours
John B Holbein1, Jerome P Schafer2, David L Dickinson3,4,5
1Department of Political Science, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA. john_holbein@byu.edu.
Nature Human Behaviour
|May 16, 2019
Summary
Insufficient sleep negatively impacts civic engagement and social capital. Studies show less sleep leads to lower voter turnout, reduced petition signing, and decreased charitable donations, affecting democratic participation.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Social Psychology
- Political Science
Background:
- Insufficient sleep is a growing public health concern in industrial societies.
- While effects on private behaviors are known, consequences for social behaviors are less understood.
- Civic participation is crucial for societal and democratic functioning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of insufficient sleep on civic participation.
- To quantify the relationship between sleep duration and social behaviors.
- To highlight the societal consequences of widespread sleep deprivation.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of survey data from two countries on sleep and voter turnout.
- Geographical regression discontinuity design examining time-zone boundaries and voting behavior in the US.
- Experimental manipulation of short-term sleep to measure changes in civic engagement.
Main Results:
- Insufficient sleep predicts lower voter turnout across countries.
- Individuals in US time zones with less sleep show reduced likelihood of voting.
- Experimental sleep deprivation decreased willingness to vote, sign petitions, and donate to charities.
Conclusions:
- Insufficient sleep significantly undermines civic engagement and social capital.
- Sleep deprivation has broad negative consequences for democratic participation.
- Addressing sleep insufficiency is vital for maintaining a healthy society.
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