Escape from politics.

• Author: Whitaker, Reg
• Position: Feature on Democracy

There is a widespread feeling that democracy is in crisis in Canada. For some years now, polls have been finding that the institutions that we hold in common for self-government have been declining in legitimacy. Politics, instead of being a symbol of our democratic citizenship, has become a term of opprobrium, an activity to be shunned.

Participation in public affairs can take many forms, but the minimum for the exercise of citizenship in a representative democracy is voting. By this measure, the Canadian political system is failing to engage the participation of its citizens at the minimal level.

* Turnout has been declining progressively in federal elections since 1988.

* Most provinces are following a similar pattern of declining turnout in provincial elections.

Before advancing explanations trend, it is best to look at the empirical evidence about turnout:

* The decline in turnout is most closely correlated with age--young Canadians, born in the 1960s and later, account for most of the decline.

* The decline is generational--as post-1960 Canadians age, they continue to participate less than older generations.

* The decline is cumulative--each new generation turns out less than its predecessor in elections.

* The decline in turnout is correlated closely to a decline in political knowledge and political interest.

* The decline in knowledge is not a function of education: young Canadians are better educated than earlier generations, but less knowledgeable about politics. There are more opportunities for gaining political knowledge, but there is less interest in taking advantage of them.

There are a number of explanations that have been put forward to account for these trends. Not all of them stand up to close scrutiny, however.

* Are young Canadians finding alternative avenues for political expression outside the parliamentary system?

--There is some evidence for this: young people register more confidence in social movements, public interest groups, protest movements, etc., than in political parties.

--Yet those who participate in extra-parliamentary activities actually prove to be more, rather than less, likely to vote than those who participate in no alternative public activities.

* Is declining turnout a function of generally declining deference to authority and a general decline in the legitimacy and attractiveness of all civil associations?

--There is evidence that younger Canadians belong to fewer traditional groups, such as...