Voter Apathy

Causes of Voter Apathy

To establish a democracy's legitimate claim to govern, some form of citizen engagement in the political processes is necessary. Fundamentally, citizens' participation is a civic obligation (i.e., citizens understand that they have a civic responsibility to vote). However, scholars note that in the absence of other forces, civic obligation by itself is not an effective mechanism for drawing citizens into the political process. Factors such as the complexity of politics, the lack of political efficacy on the part of citizens, the increase in negative campaigning, and problems with many popular party systems contribute to high levels of voter apathy in many democracies.

To have an interest in politics (at least one that goes beyond the entertainment value that politics sometimes offers), one must have a feeling of political efficacy; that is, one should believe that he or she understands politics effectively and that government and other political institutions are responsive to citizen demands. Yet many potential voters perceive politics as a complex process that they cannot understand and believe that government officials are not influenced by what individual citizens think. Thus, it is difficult for them to participate in politics and difficult to feel that their participation matters. In turn, they become alienated and decline to be a part of political society.

Some blame negative campaigning in elections for increases in apathy among potential voters. Negative campaigns serve to discourage citizens from feeling positively about any of the candidates from whom they must choose, and they can lead many to conclude that engagement and participation are not worth the effort. Countries with multiparty systems, which provide more options when voting, have decidedly higher citizen participation rates. This suggests that engagement in the election process increases when voters feel that they have a wider variety of options in the voting booth. It thus stands to reason that in a country with a two-party system, voters are likely to feel less enthusiastic about the options they are offered. They are more likely to have the perception that it does not make any difference which one of the two parties is in power. In multiparty systems, voters—offered an array of policy positions—are more likely to find [Page 1007]a party with policy positions that more closely match their interests.

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