forms and patterns of participation

what are examples of traditional forms of participation?

voting or standing in elections and memberships of pressure groups or political parties

what are examples of recent developments of participation?

boycotting, signing e-petitions and engaging with political content on social media

what have modern forms of participation allowed for?

more accessible and immediate political engagement and connection with like-minded individuals

what is slacktivism?

engagement involving supporting political causes through minimal-effort actions

how is abusive discourse a disadvantage of social media participation?

online political discussion often features aggressive language with is discouraging and quality-reducing

how is the use of bots a disadvantage of social media participation?

political support can be distorted as artificial activity can misinterpret genuine levels of support for particular causes

why is there a concern about a potential participation crisis in British politics?

fewer people are becoming involved in political activity which leads to widespread political apathy

what evidence supports the concern of a potential participation crisis?

declining voter turnout in elections and falling memberships of political parties

what events have been seen to damage public trust in politicians?

Brexit debates from 2017-2020 and the 2009 MP's expenses scandal

what evidence shows voter turnout has decreased significantly?

in 1992 turnout typically exceeded 75% but dropped to 67.3% in 2019

what was the turnout for the 2019 european parliament elections?

37%

what was the turnout for the 2016 EU referendum?

72%

what does turnout for referendums show?

voters engage when issues excite passionate responses

what evidence supports age as a crucial factor in the likelihood to vote?

the 2019 general election turnout was 47% among 18-24 year olds and 74% among those over 65

why is the generational gap in voting participation a significant challenge to democratic representation?

younger people's lower engagement means their interests may be underrepresented so politics continues to appear as irrelevant to them

where are low-turnout constituencies clustered?

urban northern england and the west midlands

where are high-turnout constituencies clustered?

southwest and southeast england and areas of above-average education

what percentage of the electorate is a membership of the conservatives, labour or lib dems?

1.7%

how has conservative membership changed from the 1950's?

decreased from 2.8 million to 180,000 members

how has labour membership changed from the 1950's?

decreased from 1 million to 485,000 members

when did labour experience a significant membership surge?

during Corbyn's leadership

what social class do the majority of party members belong to?

higher social classes - 85% of lib dem's members are of upper classes

how old is the average party member?

50+ - 53% of the conservatives current members are 60 and over

why might memberships being unrepresentative of certain groups be a struggle for political parties?

they will struggle to connect with certain voters, such as those of the younger generation or working-classes

what is partisan dealignment?

where individuals become less partisan and predictable in supporting a particular political party

what does growing electoral volatility suggest?

voters are increasingly willing to switch between parties, indicating wider disillusionment with politics

how is partisan dealignment an argument suggesting there is a participation crisis in the UK?

voters feel less affiliation to particular parties, undermining stable democratic representation

how is disillusionment following scandals an argument suggesting there is a participation crisis in the UK?

voter's trust in politicians has been damaged and therefore they have been driven from participation

how is youth disengagement an argument suggesting there is a participation crisis in the UK?

18-24 year olds are significantly less likely to vote or join parties, threatening long-term democratic vitality

how is the growth of parties an argument suggesting there is not a participation crisis in the UK?

smaller parties have had an increase in membership suggesting disillusionment may be with particular parties rather than politics itself

how is high referendum turnout an argument suggesting there is not a participation crisis in the UK?

citizens engage strongly on issues that matter to them, such as the 85% turnout for the 2014 scottish independence referendum

how is the thriving of social movements an argument suggesting there is not a participation crisis in the UK?

less structured campaigns focus on direct action which attracts strong support and commitment which political parties lack