Citizenship Norms and Political Participation in America

1
Citizenship Norms and Political Participation in
America

• Russell Dalton
• Center for the Study of Democracy
• University of California, Irvine

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Democracy at Risk?

• American democracy is at risk. The risk comes not
  from some external threat but from disturbing
  internal trends an erosion of the activities and
  capacities of citizenship. Americans have turned
  away from politics and the public sphere in large
  numbers, leaving our civic life impoverished.
  Citizens participate in public affairs less
  frequently, with less knowledge and enthusiasm,
  in fewer venues, and less equally than is healthy
  for a vibrant democratic polity.
• Macedo et al. 2005

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The Good News is . . .

• The Bad News is Wrong

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Why are Critiques Overstated?

• Focus only on traditional norms of citizenship
• Focus only on traditional forms of participation

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The Elements of Citizenship

• Participation
• Autonomy
• Social Order
• Solidarity

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CDATS/CID asked To be a good citizen, it is
important to . . .

• Duty-based Citizen Engaged Citizen
• Vote in elections
• Voluntary activity
• Active in politics
• Form own opinion
• Serve on a jury
• Obey the laws
• Serve in military
• Report a crime
• Support those worse off

Ten similar items were included in 2004 General
Social Survey
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The Change in Citizenship Norms by Age
Sources CDATS/CID 2005.
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Participation Consequences of Citizenship
Norms (CID)

• Duty-Based Citizenship
• Voting (r.11)
• Donate (.03)
• Demonstrate (-.15)
• Boycott (-.05)
• Web activism (-.06)

• Engaged Citizenship
• Web activity (r.17)
• Sign petition (.23)
• Consumerism (.19)
• Demonstrate (.09)
• Vote (.06)

Slide values are correlations between norms and
activity (CDATS/CID)
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Participation Consequences of Citizenship
Norms (GSS)

• Duty-Based Citizenship
• Voting (r.25)
• Campaign work (.13)
• Demonstrate (-.07)
• Boycott (.02)
• Web activism (-.03)

• Engaged Citizenship
• Web activity (r.16)
• Consumerism (.18)
• Demonstrate (.23)
• Vote (-.04)
• Campaign work (.07)

Slide values are correlations between norms and
activity (2004 GSS)
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The Myth of Political Disengagement
Sources ANES, WVS, Verba et al. surveys 2000
Community survey.
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The Myth of the Disengaged American
Sources CDATS/CID and ESS
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Citizenship and Participation

• Voting turnout is declining, but
• New norms of citizenship are changing patterns
  of action Americans are now more active, in more
  different ways.
• New patterns of action empower public more than
  voting more democracy rather than less.
• Politics should respond to Gen X, rather than
  asking them to act like their grandparents.

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The End
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Distribution of Citizenship Norms
Source CDATS/CID 2005.