Research consistently demonstrates that citizens residing in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods exhibit lower levels of electoral participation. Despite this well-documented relationship, the long-term implications of growing up in such environments remain underexplored. The present study addresses this gap by examining the extent to which exposure to disadvantaged neighborhoods during adolescence influences voting behavior in adulthood. Utilizing a panel dataset from Sweden, we combine survey and government register data to assess the effects of neighborhood disadvantage in adolescence on electoral turnout later in life. We find that (prolonged) exposure to disadvantaged neighborhoods suppresses voting behavior in adulthood, even when controlling for key confounding factors. These results suggest that neighborhood conditions in formative years can have enduring consequences for democratic participation. Our study underscores the importance of neighborhood context in shaping political behavior and highlights the need for policy interventions aimed at mitigating the structural disadvantages of marginalized neighborhoods.
