P1 - Is there a participation crisis? Flashcards
What are the statistics for elections in the last 50 years suggesting participation is falling
turnout -
84% in 1950
76% in 1979
59% in 2001
how has party membership fallen
Party membership has fallen since the 1980s - Conservatives went from near 3 million in the 1950s to around 200,000.
What were statistics in European, local and other elections to show falling participation
35.2% in 2014 European elections
36% in 2018 local elections
15.1% in police commissionner elections in 2012
What is the average vote in referenda in 2011
42% of people bothered to vote in some referenda
Statistics in general elections suggest positive participation
turnout has risen from 59% in 2001 to 69% in 2017
What would suggest that participation is improving
if you combine voting for all new elections political participation has risen. However, it is still not as high as in the 1970s
What were statistics in Scottish Ind Election
in 2014 - turnout at 85%, 75% of 16 and 17-year-olds
What was Brexit referendum turnout in 2016
72.2%
What has encouraged young people to get involved in politics again
Jeremy Corbyn Youthquake
What has positively happened to party membership
Labour and Lib Dem membership in 2017 (552,000 and 101,000) dramatic increase since 2016
What has increased in number and membership
pressure groups
what does an increase in pressure groups suggest
participation has changed
how many e-petitions have there been
there have been 26,000 e-petitions
What is another way of participating
protesting and campaigning via Facebook
what has caused partisan dealignment
The public is disillusioned with the lack of core differences between the parties, leading to partisan dealignment
