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. Therefore, in addition to poor weather, many factors have created high voter apathy to be a cancer in zambian political elections. This study was conducted to determine causes of political apathy as perceived by secondary school teachers and suggest remedies to the menace. Voter apathy has its causes, but yali has solutions yali. It can be categorized as the indifference of an individual and a lack of interest in participating in political activities. Political apathy is the path to imbalance of power which may lead to revolutions and civil wars. Political apathy has to do with a peoples lack of interest in the political affairs of the nation. Lauren rosewarne senior lecturer, university of melbourne partners. 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. Subsequently, it denotes the absence of a feeling of personal obligation to participate. Political apathy is one of the major challenges of democracy in nigeria today. For example, politicians, elections, public opinions, civic responsibility, etc. Questionnaires were distributed to 1,120 respondents.
Political apathy as represented through nonvoting would seem to have created a crisis of legitimacy. Political scientists are increasingly interested in the reasons why people are politically apathetic. 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. 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. 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. In the aggregate, political apathy is revealed by attitudes and an absence of. 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. If leaders fail, the peoples standard of living is affected. Pdf voters apathy and revival of genuine political participation. 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. Your story matters citation fowler, anthony george. 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. 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.
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. 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. There are those who consider this a serious malfunctioning. But here, we have listed major 10 reasons for political apathy in nigeria. Crewe et al 1992 distinguish between voter apathy and voter alienation as the basis of low political motivation. An apathetic individual has an absence of interest in or concern about emotional, social, spiritual, philosophical, or physical life and the world. This clearly shows that social media is an arena where young people are engaging in politics. Apathy is a state of indifference, or the suppression of emotions such as concern, excitement, motivation, or passion. When following election returns, they may see that their state has been declared for a candidate and think, why bother. Political apathy rationales university of nebraska public policy.
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. Hence, the need to consider the causes of voterpolitical apathy in nigeria. Political apathy is evidenced in mass, collective behavior but has its origins at the level of the individual psyche. 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. This is a major reason for the growing political apathy in nigeria. Sep 04, 2018 hence, the need to consider the causes of voterpolitical apathy in nigeria. Apathy is a lack of feeling, emotion, interest, or concern about something. 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.
Five studies on the causes and consequences of voter turnout the harvard community has made this article openly available. Even seemingly benign cures like social capital, electoral competition, and voter. However, the impact this has on political engagement is questionable. Political apathy can result in low voter turnout, political stagnation and overall democratic deficits. The underutilization of political rights undermines the practice and principles of democracy and may in extreme cases lead to dictatorship. It can affect your ability to keep a job, maintain relationships, and enjoy life. One of the main problems with american youths is the huge propensity to be politically indifferent. News programs do not provide substantive coverage of candidates and their views on issues, offering instead sound clips and opinions from biased panelists. Politics is undeniably an important thing but some powerhungry, unethical, immoral politicians misuse it which gives rise to political apathy. The widespread political apathy in america has caused much concern among politicians and social scientists.
Political apathy is a lack of concern and the indifferent attitude of citizens towards public affairs. This research is a first step in looking into the root causes of voter apathy in the country. 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. Political apathy is a denial of political education. 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. Political education in times of political apathy and extreme. We are at a time in the worlds history in which there are 1. Causes and consequences of citizen political indifference.
Political apathy leads to emergence of thugs and greedy politician emerging as leaders. Political apathy allows a government to be carefree in their activities. Contending issues and the way forward idike, adeline nnenna, ph. The attraction of political apathy january 24, 20 4. Political apathy will cause the government to behave anyhow since people are not interested in their activities. The next two studies test important hypotheses about the causes of voter turnout. 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. Below are some of the reasons for political apathy. Negative political news coverage and negative political ads create cynicism in many americans, which leads to apathy. Apathy denotes a lack of feeling of personal responsibility, a passivity and indifference for political affairs.
It has been observed that political apathy is a very widespread phenomenon in american culture. Throughout this essay, the term youths will refer specifically to persons between the ages of 18 and 29. Pdf voters apathy and revival of genuine political. If we are worsted in the great conflict after doing all that it is in our power to do, the fault is not ours. The study examines the effects of political apathy on electoral process in nigerias democracy focusing attention on the 2014 ekiti governorship election. Analysing the effects of voting apathy in democracy politics. Such a vote doesnt give the winner confidence that she is a popular political representative in a given area. This could suggest that the governments attempts to reduce voter apathy are an acknowledgement that it is harming democracy within the usa. What are the causes of political apathy in america 1. The problem of voter apathy has steadily become a major issue of concern since the may 1994 founding democratic elections.
The study adopted descriptive method relying on relevant secondary sources. Amount every other cause, inability of the leaders to protect the interest of their followers causes political apathy. Political apathy can also be defined as the lack of interest in being active in politics either by voting or been voted for. For instance, low voter participation levels can result in misrepresentation, lack of transparency and corruption due to unaccountability. 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. It will lead to emergence of thugs and greedy politician emerging as leaders. Oct 26, 2019 what are the causes of political apathy in america 1.
Political apathy leads to lack of communication between the government and the citizens. Jun 10, 2018 i believe that the solution to political apathy lies in changing the basic nature of our political system. Voter apathy has its causes, but yali has solutions kenyan protesters carry giant mock babies to represent what they claimed was the childish apathy of the kenyan people and the need for the country to grow up during a 2014 demonstration against the government. Determine whether male and female residents in yenagoa differ in their perception of the causes of political apathy in bayelsa state. Apathy is a lack of interest in life activities or interactions with others. There seems to be some propensity to wait for someone else to act and take initiative. In general, political apathy is most common amongst disenfranchised groups, such as younger voters. What are the causes of political apathy in america. Political apathy or lack of participation in politics, may lead to anarchy, fanaticism, and political, social or national disintegration. Many americans have doubts that their vote will be counted or that it even. Voter apathy causes the major cause of voter apathy is a general lack of agency. And as elaborated above, most of the causes of high voter apathy spring from the politicians we put in political offices themselves.
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. Causes of voterpolitical apathy in nigeria research cyber. Five studies on the causes and consequences of voter turnout. Every political party should prod its members and sympathisers to register and ensure as many people as possible took part in voting. A psychological analysis of the causes of voter turnout 527 likelihood of voting motivation to vote. It can consist of interest apathy, voter apathy, and information apathy. Voter apathy study1 ace electoral knowledge network. Loss of confidence is an after math of the leaders failure to protect followers interest. Find out the perceived causes of political apathy among yenagoa residents in bayelsa state, nigeria. Does low and unequal voter turnout influence partisan election results or public policies. Youth engagement can truly revolutionize the world. Sep 26, 2019 apathy is a lack of interest in life activities or interactions with others. Pdf these days, voter apathy is widely known to characterize 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.
There can be many reasons why people have a disinterest towards politics and governance. 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. Political apathy can also be defined as the lack of interest in being active in politics either by voting or been voted for, i. Apathy is a term that is often used to describe an individuals lack of care, lack of concern or nonchalance towards an issue. Click here to read note on effects of political apathy. It will lead to denial of political information and education. At such a moment, indif ference is worse than a sin of omission. Voter apathy is a problem well known to europe and nigeria, but with different root causes. 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.
Young people today seem to be coming around to the idea it really doesnt matter which politician or political party you vote for. The study investigates the causes of voters apathy. Political apathy is the indifference on the part of any citizen of any country with regard to their attitude towards political activities. Political apathy is a feeling of disinterest in the sense of politics or apathy towards politics.