Presentation Transcript

1. Consider: Have we “kept the republic” as Ben Franklin admonished us to do after the Constitutional Convention? Explain… Chapter 6: Wilson

   Participation in Politics

2. Forms of Participation in the US Voting most common, giving money and joining a political organization least common Some people report falsely how much they vote; if they do this, then it is likely that they misreport other forms of participation Studies show that politics is not a topic that most people think about on a daily basis. Verba and Nie’s forms of participation Inactive – little education or income, relatively young, most are AA (22%) Activists – highly educated, high income, middle aged not young or old; (11%) VotingSpecialists – not much schooling or income and be above average age Campaigners – what distinguishes them for VS’s is their interest in the conflicts of politics, and they usually clearly identify with a party. Communalists -belive more in the community activities of a non=partisan nature Parochialparticipants – don’t vote or join, but contact for personal problems
3. What factors make people more likely to participate/vote? Education But why has turnout declined as levels of schooling have increased? Mistrust levels? Religious involvement – the more, the more… Gender – Men and women = about the same Race = whites more than blacks Unless at same socioeconomic level (blacks more) Impediments to participation… Age? Younger population Registration requirements No cost to not participating
4. Voter Perspective 1 John is 46 year-old white male. He is an electrician who makes $85,000 a year, and has been a member of the Electrical Workers Union for approximately 20 years. He is very religious, attending a Lutheran church each week. He has been divorced for about 5 years, and has 3 children. He gets most of his news from newspapers and occasionally from NBC or CNN.
5. Voter Perspective 2 Maria is a Latino mother of 2 who just turned 35. She is a lawyer for a large law firm, and makes about $120,000 per year. She is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, a devout Catholic, and has been married for 5 years. She uses the Internet for her news, pays close attention to several blogs, and occasionally responds herself to the postings she reads.
6. Voter Perspective 3 Eric is a black male, and a recent college graduate from Penn State in the area of business administration. He is 24, single, and just moved to New York City. He is not religious, and spends a good deal of his free time following sports and spending time out and about in New York City.
7. Voter Perspective 4 Sophia is a 73 year-old white female, and a grandmother of 6. She is retired from a lifetime as a public school teacher, and receives both a pension and social security. She and her husband live in a retirement community in Vermont, and attend their Methodist church every Sunday. She listens to NPR and watches PBS in order to stay current with the news.