Civic Resilience: How hope can help to shape our democracy

What keeps people voting when the world feels overwhelming?

As a Greek citizen, I firmly believe that democracy has always had psychological dimensions. In ancient Athens, citizen participation was not merely a civic duty, but a vital part of a flourishing life. Aristotle viewed political engagement as a defining element of eudaimonia, the “good life”, rooted in reason, virtue, and meaningful social connection. These philosophical foundations still hold true. Disengagement may not only signal political alienation but also psychological strain.

In recent years, political disillusionment and emotional fatigue have eroded public trust in democratic processes. At the same time, psychologists have observed growing levels of anxiety, hopelessness, and social withdrawal, especially among younger adults. Could these trends be connected?

The urgency of this question has never been greater. Around the world, democracy faces unprecedented threats: the rise of authoritarian populism, the erosion of democratic norms, and disinformation campaigns have cast doubt on democratic systems. Meanwhile, far-right parties continue to gain ground across Europe. At this critical juncture, understanding what sustains democratic participation isn’t just academic, it’s existential.

Psychology at the ballot box

We often treat voting as a rational act. But in my ongoing research, early findings suggest it’s also a deeply emotional act.

As part of a project conducted in Greece, a country grappling with economic hardship, political polarization, and media saturation, I explored how psychological traits such as hope, confidence, and emotional distress relate to political engagement. Using validated questionnaires, 137 adults were assessed on mental health, political decision-making confidence, perceived media stress, and an intention to vote.

The pattern that emerged had clear results: 

• Hope was the strongest positive predictor of voting.
• Confidence in one’s political choices also increased the likelihood of participation.
• Psychological distress, including symptoms of anxiety and depression, was associated with a lower intention to vote.
• Perceived social influence, i.e.. feeling pressured by others’ opinions, correlated negatively with engagement.

These insights align with a growing body of literature showing that emotional wellbeing and political behaviour are deeply intertwined. As political fatigue deepens, mental health may be a hidden but vital determinant of democratic outcomes.

Introducing civic resilience

From these findings, I propose the idea of civic resilience: the psychological capacity to remain engaged in democratic life despite internal strain and external pressure. It is a form of emotional stamina that sustains participation when the political environment feels toxic or overwhelming.

Civic resilience draws from familiar psychological constructs. Snyder (2002) described hope not merely as wishful thinking, but as the belief in one’s ability to generate pathways toward desired goals. Similarly, Bandura’s (1997) self-efficacy theory emphasizes a sense of control and competence. In civic terms, these traits appear to buffer the effects of media overload, social cynicism, and emotional distress, allowing individuals to act even in challenging circumstances.

Implications for the UK

Although my work was conducted in Greece, the parallels with the UK are striking. In the 2023 local elections, voter turnout in some areas dipped below 30% (YouGov, 2024). At the same time, the ONS (2024) reported rising levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness, particularly among young people.

Rather than blaming apathy, we might instead ask: are citizens simply too emotionally exhausted to engage?

British society, like many others, is immersed in a 24/7 news cycle filled with polarisation, misinformation, and emotionally charged content. Such exposure can increase distress and erode political efficacy.

Civic resilience offers a helpful reframe. Disengagement isn’t always due to indifference, it may reflect emotional overload.

Rethinking civic education

How do we foster civic resilience? By broadening the goals of civic education. It’s not enough to teach how democracy works, we must help people to emotionally engage with it. This includes:

• Building hope and agency through goal setting, empowerment, and affirming personal impact.
• Developing political self-efficacy, encouraging critical thinking and trust in one’s own decision-making.
• Supporting mental wellbeing, acknowledging that anxiety and depression can suppress focus, motivation, and participation.
• Promoting media literacy, helping individuals manage exposure to emotionally manipulative content. 

Psychologists, whether working in education, health, therapy, or policy, can play a crucial role in reducing the emotional barriers to civic action. This is not just a civic challenge, but a psychological one.

Political messaging and emotional fatigue

Political campaigns and strategists should also take note. Fear-driven messages, guilt appeals, and alarmist framing may yield short-term results, but often at a significant emotional cost. By contrast, campaigns that promote shared goals, personal agency, and collective efficacy may not only engage more citizens,they may do so in a way that sustains democratic participation over time. 

Beyond Greece and the UK

Civic resilience is a transnational idea. Across democracies, voter turnout is falling, polarisation is rising, and emotional distress is widespread. If we want broader civic participation, we need to cultivate the psychological readiness to engage. This idea has implications across psychological disciplines. Clinicians encounter clients who feel politically powerless. Educators observe students tuning out. Health professionals know how chronic stress diminishes a sense of agency. Each of these domains intersects with the emotional infrastructure that supports democratic life.

Civic resilience does not deny painful emotions. On the contrary, it harnesses anger, grief and frustration and redirects those emotions into constructive action.

Emotional wellbeing as the foundation

Democracy is not merely a set of institutions or procedures; it is a lived psychological experience. It is shaped daily by people’s beliefs, emotions, and sense of agency. If we want democracy to thrive, not just survive, we must begin to treat emotional wellbeing as part of its infrastructure.

That infrastructure includes the capacity for reflection, for resisting manipulation, and for imagining a better future. Emotional wellbeing isn’t a luxury or a side benefit. It’s foundational, just as roads and laws are, to the functioning of civic life.

The concept of civic resilience offers a path forward. It reminds us that participation depends not only on access or knowledge, but also on hope, confidence, and the capacity to act even when the world feels heavy.

Cultivating these traits, whether in therapy rooms, classrooms, policy work, or community outreach, can help citizens stay engaged, especially during times of political turbulence. In doing so, we move beyond merely functional democracies, toward ones that are psychologically sustainable.

Hope, after all, isn’t naïve. It’s strategic. It fuels the belief that change is possible and that participation still matters. In emotionally volatile times, fostering hope may be one of our most powerful tools for protecting democratic life.

Many citizens aren’t disengaged because they don’t care. They’re disengaged because they’re overwhelmed. And that’s a problem that psychology can help solve. Because in the end, voting isn’t just a political act.
It’s a psychological one.

References

Bakshy, E., Messing, S., & Adamic, L. A. (2015). Exposure to ideologically diverse news and opinion on Facebook. Science, 348(6239), 1130–1132. 

Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W.H. Freeman.

Gallagher, M. W., & Lopez, S. J. (2009). Positive expectancies and mental health: Identifying the unique contributions of hope and optimism. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 4(6), 548–556. 

Garfin, D. R., Silver, R. C., & Holman, E. A. (2020). The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak: Amplification of public health consequences by media exposure. Health Psychology, 39(5), 355–357. 

Goldberg, D. P., & Williams, P. (1988). A user’s guide to the General Health Questionnaire. NFER-Nelson.

Office for National Statistics. (2024). Mental health and wellbeing in the UK population. 

Ojeda, C. (2015). Depression and political participation. Social Science Quarterly, 96(5), 1226–1243. 

Snyder, C. R. (2002). Hope theory: Rainbows in the mind. Psychological Inquiry, 13(4), 249–275. 

Snyder, C. R., Harris, C., Anderson, J. R., Holleran, S. A., Irving, L. M., Sigmon, S. T., … & Harney, P. (1991). The will and the ways: Development and validation of an individual-differences measure of hope. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60(4), 570–585. 

YouGov. (2024). Trust in political institutions remains low among UK adults.