(Week 4) political participation
-
Upload
wylie-tidwell-iii -
Category
Education
-
view
722 -
download
3
Transcript of (Week 4) political participation
Chapter 7Political
Participation
Copyright © 2011, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Peter Casolino/Alamy
Forms of Participation• Political participation
– Activity that has the intent or effect of influencing government action
– Most common form — voting – Other methods of participation
• Election campaigning • Contacting public officials • Joining and/or supporting interest groups • Unconventional political acts
Copyright © 2011, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Douglas McFadd/Stringer/Getty Images News/Getty Images
Patterns of Participation• Factors That Influence Participation:
– Personal Resources– Psychological Engagement– Voter Mobilization– Community Involvement
• Who Participates: – Income – Age– Race/Ethnicity– Gender
Copyright © 2011, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
MR. MONOPOLY © 1935, 2009 Hasbro. All rights reserved.MR. MONOPOLY © 1935, 2009 Hasbro. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images
Trends in Voter Turnout– Voting age population
(VAP): Number of citizens legally qualified to vote.
– Voting eligible population (VEP): Number of residents over the age of 18.
Trends in Voter TurnoutVoter Turnout in the United States: 2004 and 2008
presidential elections suggest that the U.S. is experiencing a voting revival.
- Massive voter mobilization efforts- GOTV campaigns- Increase in battleground states
- High public interest in the elections- Important national decisions on the war on
terror and the declining economy; - hot-button issues such as gay marriage,
healthcare reform. Copyright © 2011, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Wally McNamee/ CORBIS
Participation Rates in Comparative Perspective
• When compared to other industrialized democracies, the United States has – Relatively low-voter participation rates, but– Citizens tend to be more active than those in
other nations in some other areas of political participation.
Copyright © 2011, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
suravid/Shutterstock
Does Low Turnout Matter?• Participation Bias• Characteristics of individuals who are more likely to
participate politically than others– Older– Employed– Better educated– Married– Own their homes– Attend church– Identify with a political party– Belong to a political organization– Identify with their ethnic group, particularly if they believe their
group suffers discrimination
Copyright © 2011, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Jeff Greenberg/The Image Works
Does Low Turnout Matter?
• Increasing Voter Turnout– National Voter Registration
Act of 1993: also known as the Motor Voter Act.
– Allows people to register to vote when renewing their driver’s license.
– Increased the number of registered voters but did not increase voter turnout.
Copyright © 2011, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.