Are Americans politically apathetic–what is the evidence for and against?
• Turnout in U.S. Elections • Presidential– less than 49% in 1996 • About 35 % in 1998 • These turnout figures do not compare favorably with turnout across the world, so people contend that Americans are “politically apathetic” • In truth, U.S. citizens tend to participate as much or more than citizens in other western nations. • Consider the Graphs of Conventional Political Participation in five nations on pages 214 and 215. • The only form of political participation that Americans do less than others is vote. • That says more about our electoral system than about the civic spirit of U.S. citizens. Political participation comes in several forms. • According to the democratic ideal “government ought to be run by the people.” • In the model of direct democracy citizens participate directly in government affairs. • Indirect democracy relies on ELECTIONS — formal procedures for voting to make group decisions — as the formal mechanism for citizen participation. • UNCONVENTIONAL PARTICIP
