Political activism across 40 countries linked to better policy representation
Researchers from Lund University and the University of Gothenburg published a study in Political Behavior linking political activism to policy outcomes in 40 countries between 1996 and 2016.
Voting does not improve representation
The analysis compared views of voters with those of nonvoters across the dataset. Results showed that voting alone did not correlate with better political representation or policy implementation. The data indicated that 74 percent of participants voted while 26 percent did not.
Active participation drives change
Other forms of engagement such as demonstrating and contacting politicians were associated with successful policy outcomes. People who engaged in multiple activities between elections had a greater chance of seeing preferred policies implemented within five years. This pattern held true across the diverse group of nations included in the survey.
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