Why do they join?

Research paper by Christian Lyhne Ibsen

The study – which was carried out for the LO and is the first of its kind – examines the probability of being a member of the so called ‘yellow’ unemployment funds and unions, compared to the probability of being member of LO's unemployment funds and unions. The statistical analysis shows that younger persons have increased probability of ‘yellow’ membership, whereas the probability for membership in LO's organisations increases with age. By contrast, the LO's member organizations still a have a good hold of skilled workers. The analysis confirms previous results showing that it is specifically employees with lower disposable income and debt who choose ‘yellow’ membership. Employees working as leaders, in sale or in manual labor, are also more likely to choose ‘yellow’. Similarly, parents with small children are more likely to be ‘yellow’ members. Finally, it turns out that membership of a person’s spouse is a very important determinant of whether that person chooses ‘yellow’ membership or not. The study concludes that the price of the membership most likely influences the decision to join yellow organizations. In addition, there is every indication that the decision for ‘yellow’ memberships in the family is often taken when specific situations necessitate a review of the household budget.

The research paper is published by FAOS, Department of Sociology, University of Copenhagen (in Danish only).