The impact of health on voting intent among youth in nine Southeast European countries: a mediation analysis on the role of political trust

This study investigates the impact of personal health, measured as self-rated health, on voting intentions among youth in nine Southeast European (SEE) countries, with a focus on the mediating role of political trust. Using structural equation modelling (SEM), we analyse data from the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) youth surveys in SEE countries. Our findings reveal that while better self-rated health is positively associated with political trust in Romania and Slovenia, this relationship is not observed in other countries. Political trust significantly enhances voting intentions in all countries except Bosnia and Herzegovina. Additionally, self-rated health directly influences voting intentions positively in Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia, negatively in Romania, and shows no significant effect elsewhere. Lastly, political trust mediates the relationship between self-rated health and voting intentions only in Romania and Slovenia. Measures aimed at supporting health among youth and their political trust could lead to higher voter turnout; however, the effectiveness of such policies may vary across countries.