Identidad mexicana e interés político: Predictores de bienestar social y anomia

Abstract

This paper tests the hypothesis that perceived differences in Mexican identity and political interest condition social well-being and the perception of anomie. The three dimensions of Tajfel’s social identity theory was adopted to measure Mexican identity, as well as the five dimensions of Keyes’s model for social well-being. A sample of 211 subjects of voting age from the State of Colima, Mexico, filled out a battery of three questionnaires and sociodemographic data. Results show that individuals with a high level of Mexican identity and political interest perceive high levels of social well-being and low level of anomie compared with those who scored low. Correlations were positive for social well-being and negative for anomie, with respect to identity and political interest. The factor of identity affirmation and identification predicted better social integration and actualization, components of social well-being.