Citizen Participation Essay

A common belief often held by individuals across the United Kingdom, and many other democracies, is that their one individual vote does not matter. However, there are a number of ways in which citizens participate, especially in a democratic country like the United Kingdom. With that said, there are a number of different ways that citizens can and do participate. Citizens have an influence on politics by voting, whether in local elections or the general election, by involvement in media, and by associating with a particular party. So citizens are often immersed in the culture of politics without even trying.

One of the most obvious form of citizen participation is a type of “…direct democracy…” (Smith, 2009: 111). Voting gives each person

This is an example of how associating with a particular party can affect the bigger picture. Therefore, by providing support for parties leads to a chain of events that impacts democracy. Members of parties often donate money, advertise for elections, and coordinate events in support of specific organisations. With the varying types of influence, it’s no wonder that affiliating with a party can lead to involvement in other groups such as: unions, social groups, and councils. In joining these groups, members can then try to make a difference for society as a whole. Group resources are often affected by region and location. For instance, some groups are much more established in certain areas. Access to group resources has an impact on overall citizen participation (Moran, 2015:

It’s essential to look more closely at citizen participation because it goes much deeper than just the surface of direct voting. There are an infinite number of ways to participate in democracy and they range in effort. But less effort doesn 't necessarily make it more or less valuable than another way. Nevertheless, citizen participation; from a micro-level all the way up to macro-levels, shapes the outcome of politics and public policy. So no longer is it about ‘will’ citizens participate, but rather how will