participation crisis/ democratic deficit

• Is there a participation crisis in party membership

  YES- decrease in membership between 1980-2022 (1.7 mil to 670,000)

  NO - increases can occur 2010-2032

  (397,000 to 678,000)
• Is there a participation crisis in General Election turnout?

  YES- decrease in turnout 1979-2024

  (76% to 59.4%

  NO- increases can occur 2001- 2017

  (59.4% to 68.7%)
• Is there a participation crisis in recent referenda turnout

  YES- turnout fluctuates and relies on the importance of the issue 1998 went 34.1% in one referenda and 84.6% in the other

  NO- has increased between 2011-2014 (42.2% to 84.6%)
• Is there a participation crisis in E-petition signatures

  YES- serious drop in 2016-2023 (3.8 mil to 160,000)

  people may not sign on issues they aren't interested in

  
  

  NO- increased by x10 in one year (16,000- 160,000)

  people may not know about certain petitions
• Democratic deficit example

  1. Voter ID laws were introduced in 2023 (apart for Northern Ireland as they have their own)
  2. As many as 750,000 people may have been excluded
  3. Limited forms of accepted ID
• democratic deficit FPTP

  2024 general election Reform UK party won 4 000 000 votes but only 5 seats
• Party Membership in 1980

  1.7 million
• Party membership in 2016

  490,000
• Turnout in 1979 General Election

  76%
• Turnout in 2005 General Election

  59.4%
• Turnout in 2017 General Election

  68.7%
• Turnout in 2019 General Election

  67.3%
• Turnout in Scottish Independence Referendum (2014)


  84.6%
• Turnout in Law making powers for the Welsh Parliament

  35
• Year of Law making powers for the Welsh Parliament Referendum

  2011
• FPTP example

  David Pinto-Duschinsky won his seat by only 15 votes (2024 Hendon)