Beyond democratic exposure: A cognitive-motivational-emotional analysis of political disaffection among highly skilled Chinese migrants in Germany

This study examines how authoritarian socialisation creates enduring psychological configurations that shape political disaffection among highly skilled Chinese migrants in Germany. Drawing on 62 in-depth interviews, we investigate how individuals who possess significant socioeconomic resources and substantial access to democratic institutions nevertheless exhibit persistent political disaffection. Our analysis reveals that political disaffection operates through three interconnected psychological dimensions: pre-political cognitive constraints that prevent political efficacy, anxiety-based motivational orientations that prioritise personal security, and emotional adaptations characterised by powerlessness and disinterest. To capture how authoritarian institutions generate such durable psychological configurations, we develop the Cognitive-Motivational-Emotional (CME) framework, which theorises these psychological dimensions as mutually reinforcing mechanisms. This article contributes to the study of political disaffection by extending its conceptual scope beyond democratic contexts, refining Easton’s political systems theory through the notion of input distortion, and introducing an integrated approach to political dispositions. The findings challenge resource-based models of democratic engagement and offer an institutional-psychological perspective on migrant political disengagement in democratic societies.