The evolution of election campaigns: Eroding political engagement?

There is widespread agreement that the process of election campaigning, particularly the roles of parties and the news media, have been transformed during recent decades. Many are concerned that these developments have generated widespread apathy, or even alienation, from the traditional modes of electoral participation in representative democracies. This tendency is thought to be particularly pronounced among the young. To examine these issues, Part I sets out a theoretical model for understanding the evolution of modern campaigns. Part II considers why these developments may be expected to have produced an erosion of common forms of campaign activism. Part III describes the source of evidence used to analyze these issues, drawing upon the 15-nation European Social Survey, 2002 (ESS), and the methods of cohort analysis which are used here to examine campaign activism. Part IV compares cohort analysis of campaign activism, including through voting and party work, with cause activism. The conclusion considers the implications of these results, and suggests that experience of changes in election campaigns have not been associated with an erosion of civic engagement.