The demographics of political participation in the U.S.
In the United states of America, the culture which has developed is based and focused upon the individual. The so called “Cult of the Individual” permeates nearly every facet of the American society, including the political system. within the American political system each American Citizen has the ability to express their individual opinion by participation in the democratic process, through various forms of political participation. The Representative Democratic system which exists in the U.S. has been designed with the intention of providing an equal voice to the individual, regardless of who they are or where they come from, however the reality of the American political system is such …show more content…
“Education has the strongest impact on participation, as it provides people with background knowledge of how the political system works.” (Am. Govt. 8.3) According to U.S. Census Bureau statistics for Congressional Elections during the period between 1978 and 2014 individuals with a Bachelor’s degree were twenty percentage points more likely to vote than individuals whose highest level of education was a High School degree, and the voting rate for those who have attained an advanced degree (Masters, PHD, etc...) was shown to be nearly double that of the group who had only attained a high school diploma. (File, 6) Though the number of Americans who had registered to vote during this period who had only attained a high school diploma was significantly larger than either the Bachelor’s degree or Advanced degree groups (roughly the size of both groups put together), their lack of participation meant that there were in fact many more votes cast by individuals who had attained a Bachelor’s degree or higher than the group who had only attained a High School degree. (File, 6) As well the numbers for those who had not attained a High School Diploma were significantly lower than the groups who had attained college degrees, with roughly one quarter to one fifth of the non-High School …show more content…
Factors such as age or gender have specific rates of participation associated with them. According to a report by the U.S. Census Bureau 23.1% of the U.S. population between 18-34 years of age voted in Congressional Elections between 1978 and 2014, as compared to 37.8% for the group comprising those between the ages of 35 and 44, and 59.4% amongst those who were 65 years or older during the period of the study. (File, 6) The wide degree of variability between the age groupings, particularly between the 18-34 group and their older counterparts, may be explained by the development of more stable living conditions starting in most individual’s late thirties. “At this stage in life, people are more likely than younger people to have established homes, hold steady jobs, and be settled into communities.” (Am. Govt.,
In the United states of America, the culture which has developed is based and focused upon the individual. The so called “Cult of the Individual” permeates nearly every facet of the American society, including the political system. within the American political system each American Citizen has the ability to express their individual opinion by participation in the democratic process, through various forms of political participation. The Representative Democratic system which exists in the U.S. has been designed with the intention of providing an equal voice to the individual, regardless of who they are or where they come from, however the reality of the American political system is such …show more content…
“Education has the strongest impact on participation, as it provides people with background knowledge of how the political system works.” (Am. Govt. 8.3) According to U.S. Census Bureau statistics for Congressional Elections during the period between 1978 and 2014 individuals with a Bachelor’s degree were twenty percentage points more likely to vote than individuals whose highest level of education was a High School degree, and the voting rate for those who have attained an advanced degree (Masters, PHD, etc...) was shown to be nearly double that of the group who had only attained a high school diploma. (File, 6) Though the number of Americans who had registered to vote during this period who had only attained a high school diploma was significantly larger than either the Bachelor’s degree or Advanced degree groups (roughly the size of both groups put together), their lack of participation meant that there were in fact many more votes cast by individuals who had attained a Bachelor’s degree or higher than the group who had only attained a High School degree. (File, 6) As well the numbers for those who had not attained a High School Diploma were significantly lower than the groups who had attained college degrees, with roughly one quarter to one fifth of the non-High School …show more content…
Factors such as age or gender have specific rates of participation associated with them. According to a report by the U.S. Census Bureau 23.1% of the U.S. population between 18-34 years of age voted in Congressional Elections between 1978 and 2014, as compared to 37.8% for the group comprising those between the ages of 35 and 44, and 59.4% amongst those who were 65 years or older during the period of the study. (File, 6) The wide degree of variability between the age groupings, particularly between the 18-34 group and their older counterparts, may be explained by the development of more stable living conditions starting in most individual’s late thirties. “At this stage in life, people are more likely than younger people to have established homes, hold steady jobs, and be settled into communities.” (Am. Govt.,