The Effect of Social Capital on Political Participation: The Case Study of Golestan Province

This article focuses on the association between political participation and social capital. It presents research-based evidence to examine whether and how the levels of political participation are affected by social capital and its components. The results discussed in this article are based on a survey conducted in the major cities of Golestan Province. The sample includes 502 persons aged 19 years old and over. According to the results of this analysis, electoral participation (that is, voting) accounts for the most important aspect of political participation. Furthermore, the results of this analysis explored that the levels of political participation are most importantly associated with the following social capital characteristics: social network in formal relations level, inter-personal trust, social interaction in group interaction level, and cooperative interaction in both social and religious levels.