Participation in Politics: A Preliminary Analysis1

MosT citizens in the western world have been told, and have come to believe, that in order for democracy to fiourish they should be informed about and be active in politics. If democracy is going to be rule ’of the people, by the people and for the people’ the people, by definition, must be politically active. Paradoxically though, studies in a variety of western democracies show that only a minority of citizens either participate or value participating in the political process. Almond and Verba2 for example, in their cross-cultural study of political attitudes in five countries point