Debating the Decline of Traditional Politics and the Rise of Extra - Institutional Participation

Research on political participation has suggested that young people in western countries have become gradually disengaged from conventional politics. While traditional repertoires of participation have been declining, recent research also found that young people are relatively active in civic arenas and have become more prone to engage in extra-institutional forms of political participation. One of the contributing factors to this change in political participation preferences is the rise of postmaterialist values. According to postmaterialist theory, young people brought up in periods of high economic and physical security, surrounded by better chances for education, are more likely to prioritise values such as freedom, self-expression and quality of life, rather than values related to physical sustenance and safety. Internet researchers have reported that Internet users are mainly young, well educated and affluent, thus denoting a similarity to the demographic characteristics of postmaterialists. This article presents evidence regarding the existence of postmaterialist values in the online realm attempting to contribute to the debate about how postmaterialism influences online and offline political activity. The author takes Greece as a case study, a European country with a rich partisan culture, compulsory voting, growing development and increasing rate of Internet penetration. The article also examines the relationship between offline and online extra-institutional activity and cultural values. It presents evidence showing that young people in Greece display a postmaterialist orientation and are keen in participating in extra-institutional types of political activity. The results also demonstrate that postmaterialism is positively related to both offline and online extra-institutional political participation.