Participation in voluntary associations and value indicators: The effect of current and previous participation experiences

Although most of the literature on social capital argues that voluntary associations are of crucial importance for the establishment of a democratic political culture, empirical research usually reveals but a weak effect of membership on democratic attitudes. This article investigates the possibility that this weak relation might be the result of an inadequate measurement of participation. In testing this hypothesis, the author relies on the results of a face-to-face survey that proved to be representative for the Dutch-speaking population of Belgium. Previous memberships are shown to have strong effects on civic attitudes and feelings of political empowerment. This would imply that a full measurement of participation should not be limited to current membership status but should also include the entire participation history of the respondent.