Participation

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Participation
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What are all of the ways you can participate in
politics?
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Participation, PS 125 (Fall 08)


Registered to vote 82
Voted in an election 44
Worn a campaign button 24
Put a campaign sticker on your car 8
Go to any political meeting, rally, speech 38
Give money to a candidate 6
Give money to a party or other political group 4
Tried to persuade someone to vote for a party or candidate 68
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Why is participation important?
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Why dont some people participate?
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Probability of voting Benefit - Cost
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Rational calculations?(Would you give up the
right to vote forever for?)
An IPOD Touch 2
Free college tuition 40
A million dollars 44
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Voter Turnout, 2004 2008
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What makes a person more likely to vote?

• Higher Education
• Why?
• More interest in politics (higher benefit)
• More background information to understand
  politics, and skills to get through the
  registration and voting process (lower costs)

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Effect of education on turnout (2008 data)
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What makes a person more likely to vote?

• Higher Education
• Higher Income
• Why?
• Free time (lower costs)
• Stake in community (taxes etc.higher benefit)

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Effect of income on turnout, 2008
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Effect of race on turnout? (2008)
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What makes a person more likely to vote?

• Higher Education
• Higher Income / more resources
• Lack of language/cultural barriers

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Effect of citizenship on turnout
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What makes a person more likely to vote?

• Higher Education
• Higher Income / more resources
• Lack of language/cultural barriers
• Easy registration

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Effect of Registration laws on turnout (2004 data)
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So why dont young people vote?2004 and 2008
turnout rates
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Newspaper readership, 2004
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Newspaper readership, by age
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What makes a person more likely to vote?

• Higher Education
• Higher Income / more resources
• Lack of language/cultural barriers
• Easy registration
• Interest
• Social Connectedness

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What makes a person more likely to vote?

• Social connectedness
• Why?
• Learn civic skills in a group (lower costs)
• Feel responsibility to a particular community
  (higher benefit)
• Group norms (higher social benefit)

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Effect of marriage on turnout, 2008
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Effect of residency on turnout
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Effect of home ownership on turnout
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What does a healthy democracy really need?

• Do you think the system will be biased against
  people who dont participate?
• So who might the system be biased against?
• Does that make for a healthy democracy?
• Or maybe democracy can be enhanced through other
  kinds of participation

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What is social capital?

• The norms and trust that develop from
  interpersonal social relationships
• A byproduct of other activities, not something
  created on its own

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Putnams evidence for declining social capital

• Membership in PTA, League of Women Voters, Elks
  Clubs and the like have declined 25-50 in the
  last 25 years.
• Bowling leagues and sports leagues have less
  participation
• People spend up to 25 less time socializing with
  friends than they did in 1965.
• Church attendance is down 15-30.
• Attending Club Meetings down 58
• Family dinners down 33
• Having friends over down 45

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Why the decline of social capital?
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(No Transcript)
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What are ways we can build social capital?
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What do we really need if we want more people to
participate?Do we want more people to
participate??