How has political participation changed?

Political Participation: Opportunities for and tendencies of the people to become involved in the political process. At a minimum level this will involve voting, but may also involve active work in political parties or pressure groups. At the highest level it implies standing for public office.

Political participation is a major concern for policy makers as it is falling dramatically. This gives the legislature less authority and therefore less legitimacy, which can become damaging for the reputation of the government and can lose the consent of the governed.

Turnout at elections has been falling since the 1970s. There was a small recovery in the general election in 2010, but the local elections in May 2012 have shown another drastic drop. In…