Throughout this essay, the term youths will refer specifically to persons between the ages of 18 and 29. This study was conducted to determine causes of political apathy as perceived by secondary school teachers and suggest remedies to the menace. For instance, low voter participation levels can result in misrepresentation, lack of transparency and corruption due to unaccountability. D department of public administration and local government university of nigeria, nsukka abstract it has been highlighted in this study that political apathy is a seemingly innocuous issue in the. Rather than the current blackandwhite approach to determining the direction of the country, voters could be given more opportunities to vote for specific policies than just for individual candidates. Political apathy is a feeling of disinterest in the sense of politics or apathy towards politics. A psychological analysis of the causes of voter turnout 527 likelihood of voting motivation to vote. However, to concentrate on electoral participation as the only measure of a healthy democracy is to ignore the many other measurements which characterise a democratic state, such as access to free elections, freedom of speech, or the. Pdf voters apathy and revival of genuine political. When following election returns, they may see that their state has been declared for a candidate and think, why bother.
This could suggest that the governments attempts to reduce voter apathy are an acknowledgement that it is harming democracy within the usa. Political apathy allows a government to be carefree in their activities. The obvious answer to this question is that if there is an option to be involved in politics and the public dont participate, then the danger is that a minority will install a government that doesnt have the interests of the majority in their ag. Amount every other cause, inability of the leaders to protect the interest of their followers causes political apathy. Apathy is a term that is often used to describe an individuals lack of care, lack of concern or nonchalance towards an issue. Political apathy is a denial of political education.
Questionnaires were distributed to 1,120 respondents. Below are some of the reasons for political apathy. For example, politicians, elections, public opinions, civic responsibility, etc. Political apathy is evidenced in mass, collective behavior but has its origins at the level of the individual psyche. The rise of political apathy in two charts in turbulent times, voting should seem even more important but in europe, turnouts are lower than ever. Pdf these days, voter apathy is widely known to characterize the. A psychological analysis of the causes of voter turnout pdf. Political apathy will cause the government to behave anyhow since people are not interested in their activities. Contending issues and the way forward idike, adeline nnenna, ph. Political apathy can stem from a lack of understanding of politics and government that could make it difficult for that person to see any value in voting or from seeing the benefits and costs of the government policies being put forward. Political apathy rationales university of nebraska public policy. Political apathy is the indifference on the part of any citizen of any country with regard to their attitude towards political activities.
There are those who consider this a serious malfunctioning. It will lead to denial of political information and education. If we are worsted in the great conflict after doing all that it is in our power to do, the fault is not ours. However, the impact this has on political engagement is questionable. The problem of voter apathy has steadily become a major issue of concern since the may 1994 founding democratic elections. Although remote origins of the doctrine can probably be found in the cynics second half of the 4th century bc, it was zeno of citium 4th3rd century bc who explicitly taught that the pathe were to be extirpated. Apathy denotes a lack of feeling of personal responsibility, a passivity and indifference for political affairs. The study examines the effects of political apathy on electoral process in nigerias democracy focusing attention on the 2014 ekiti governorship election. Political apathy can also be defined as the lack of interest in being active in politics either by voting or been voted for. Politics is undeniably an important thing but some powerhungry, unethical, immoral politicians misuse it which gives rise to political apathy. This is a major reason for the growing political apathy in nigeria.
When government doesnt listen to the yearnings of the people, or is carefree about their feelings, there is bound to be general lack of interest towards activities of the government. Click here to read note on effects of political apathy. The next two studies test important hypotheses about the causes of voter turnout. Causes of voterpolitical apathy in nigeria research cyber. Political apathy is a lack of concern and the indifferent attitude of citizens towards public affairs. Voter apathy study1 ace electoral knowledge network.
Jun 10, 2018 i believe that the solution to political apathy lies in changing the basic nature of our political system. Political apathy can result in low voter turnout, political stagnation and overall democratic deficits. Your story matters citation fowler, anthony george. Many americans have doubts that their vote will be counted or that it even matters. It will lead to lack of communication between the government and the citizens.
What are the causes of political apathy in america. But here, we have listed major 10 reasons for political apathy in nigeria. The attraction of political apathy january 24, 20 4. For example, in regard to political participation people often argue that we live in an era wherebycitizens lack the interest or encouragement to take on. Hence, the need to consider the causes of voterpolitical apathy in nigeria. The study adopted descriptive research design with a sample of 400 secondary school teachers selected through multi stage sampling procedure with two research questions and one hypothesis.
And as elaborated above, most of the causes of high voter apathy spring from the politicians we put in political offices themselves. Loss of confidence is an after math of the leaders failure to protect followers interest. Such a vote doesnt give the winner confidence that she is a popular political representative in a given area. Apathy is a lack of interest in life activities or interactions with others.
The study investigates the causes of voters apathy. Sep 26, 2019 apathy is a lack of interest in life activities or interactions with others. Analysing the effects of voting apathy in democracy politics. At such a moment, indif ference is worse than a sin of omission.
Does low and unequal voter turnout influence partisan election results or public policies. It can consist of interest apathy, voter apathy, and information apathy. It will lead to emergence of thugs and greedy politician emerging as leaders. Many americans have doubts that their vote will be counted or that it even.
Young people today seem to be coming around to the idea it really doesnt matter which politician or political party you vote for. In general, political apathy is most common amongst disenfranchised groups, such as younger voters. Oct 26, 2019 what are the causes of political apathy in america 1. Five studies on the causes and consequences of voter turnout the harvard community has made this article openly available.
Voters apathy and revival of genuine political participation in nigeria article pdf available in mediterranean journal of social sciences 43 september 20 with 6,203 reads. This research is a first step in looking into the root causes of voter apathy in the country. Political education in times of political apathy and extreme. While between may 1994 and june 1999, the worry about voter apathy largely pertained to byelections, the trend has changed altogether following the november 2000 local government elections and the may 2004 general elections. Oct 19, 2016 the obvious answer to this question is that if there is an option to be involved in politics and the public dont participate, then the danger is that a minority will install a government that doesnt have the interests of the majority in their ag. Voter apathy has its causes, but yali has solutions yali. Five studies on the causes and consequences of voter turnout. Even seemingly benign cures like social capital, electoral competition, and voter. Political apathy or lack of participation in politics, may lead to anarchy, fanaticism, and political, social or national disintegration. It has been observed that political apathy is a very widespread phenomenon in american culture.
Every political party should prod its members and sympathisers to register and ensure as many people as possible took part in voting. The widespread political apathy in america has caused much concern among politicians and social scientists. There seems to be some propensity to wait for someone else to act and take initiative. Political apathy as represented through nonvoting would seem to have created a crisis of legitimacy. We are at a time in the worlds history in which there are 1. The underutilization of political rights undermines the practice and principles of democracy and may in extreme cases lead to dictatorship. Political apathy leads to lack of communication between the government and the citizens. Political scientists are increasingly interested in the reasons why people are politically apathetic. Negative political news coverage and negative political ads create cynicism in many americans, which leads to apathy. Youth engagement can truly revolutionize the world. Presumably this is an attempt to reach an audience that may not follow the normal channels for political information and thus is an attempt to engage difficulttoreach, apathetic potential voters. Political apathy has to do with a peoples lack of interest in the political affairs of the nation. Subsequently, it denotes the absence of a feeling of personal obligation to participate. There can be many reasons why people have a disinterest towards politics and governance.
Crewe et al 1992 distinguish between voter apathy and voter alienation as the basis of low political motivation. Political apathy threatens democratic dispensation when a politician wins an election in a high voter apathy political election, such a winner wins with a minority vote. Political apathy can also be defined as the lack of interest in being active in politics either by voting or been voted for, i. Therefore, in addition to poor weather, many factors have created high voter apathy to be a cancer in zambian political elections. This clearly shows that social media is an arena where young people are engaging in politics. During my political activities i meet many people and i have been struck by the apathy displayed by a substantial number of them towards maltese politics. Lauren rosewarne senior lecturer, university of melbourne partners.
In hindsight to the evidence collected voter apathy is certainly apparent and on every level it is due to the alienation of the electorate, whether it be through a lack of knowledge or that they feel. The act of apathy then manifests itself in a variety of ways. Belief that vote doesnt count many americans have doubts that their vote will be counted or that it even matters. Voter apathy is a problem well known to europe and nigeria, but with different root causes. If leaders fail, the peoples standard of living is affected. It can be categorized as the indifference of an individual and a lack of interest in participating in political activities. Pdf voters apathy and revival of genuine political participation. Further information showed that over half 56% share articles from online newspapers, a quarter 27% share petitions, and a fifth 20% share political blogs and political events. What are the causes of political apathy in america 1.
Apathy, in stoic philosophy, condition of being totally free from the pathe, which roughly are the emotions and passions, notably pain, fear, desire, and pleasure. In the aggregate, political apathy is revealed by attitudes and an absence of. Determine whether male and female residents in yenagoa differ in their perception of the causes of political apathy in bayelsa state. In this article, we will treat some of the reasons for political apathy in nigeria, we will also cover the types of apathy in nigeria and also their main causes. News programs do not provide substantive coverage of candidates and their views on issues, offering instead sound clips and opinions from biased panelists.
Apathy is a lack of feeling, emotion, interest, or concern about something. One of the main problems with american youths is the huge propensity to be politically indifferent. Political apathy is one of the major challenges of democracy in nigeria today. Apathy is a state of indifference, or the suppression of emotions such as concern, excitement, motivation, or passion. The study adopted descriptive method relying on relevant secondary sources. Political apathy is the path to imbalance of power which may lead to revolutions and civil wars. Political apathy leads to emergence of thugs and greedy politician emerging as leaders. Causes and consequences of citizen political indifference. Find out the perceived causes of political apathy among yenagoa residents in bayelsa state, nigeria. Voter apathy causes the major cause of voter apathy is a general lack of agency. Sep 04, 2018 hence, the need to consider the causes of voterpolitical apathy in nigeria. An apathetic individual has an absence of interest in or concern about emotional, social, spiritual, philosophical, or physical life and the world.
1285 185 1411 61 1528 68 466 1422 353 1508 973 662 1490 1321 1512 153 660 1463 475 822 603 116 1361 1354 1036 1387 1475 1324 358 1282 1041 144 289 1371