Generations, Political Participation and Social Change in Western Europe (Routledge Research in Comparative Politics)

This new comparative analysis shows that there are reasons to be concerned about the future of democratic politics. Younger generations have become disengaged from the political process. The evidence presented in this comprehensive study shows that they are not just less likely than older generations to engage in institutional political activism such as voting and party membership - they are also less likely to engage in extra-institutional protest activism. Generations, Political Participation and Social Change in Western Europe offers a rigorously researched empirical analysis of political participation trends across generations in Western Europe. It examines the way in which the political behaviour of younger generations leads to social change. Are younger generations completely disengaged from politics, or do they simply choose to participate in a different way to previous generations? The book is of key interest to scholars, students and practitioners of political sociology, political participation and behaviour, European Politics, Comparative Politics and Sociology.-- Provided by Publisher Cover 1 Title 6 Copyright 7 Dedication 8 Contents 10 List of figures 11 List of tables 13 Acknowledgements 15 List of abbreviations 17 1 Introduction 18 2 Studying political participation in Western Europe 30 3 Generations and social change 43 4 The evolution of political participation in Western Europe 66 5 Generations and formal political participation in Western Europe 90 6 Generations and informal political participation in Western Europe 129 7 Explaining generational differences in political participation in Western Europe 180 8 The future of political participation in Western Europe 209 Appendix: Analysing political participation and social change in Western Europe 227 Index 265