The source claims that electoral turnout has fallen sharply, particularly since the 200 General Election. This is a valid argument as this election had an overall turnout of 59% which was a significant decrease from the previous election, which experienced a turnout of around 7%, making it the lowest turnout since the end of WW2. This evidence suggests that, since 200, less people are deciding to vote, which could imply that there is a participation crisis in the UK, and could mean that modern day citizens do not care about politics as much as past generations did. However, many people argue that it is not possible to compare the turnout of different elections, as many people decide to vote depending on the current circumstances, as certain situations can affect political awareness and interest. Electoral turnout can also depend heavily on the importance of the election, if an election has significant importance, more people are likely to vote, which was evident in the European Union Referendum, which experienced a turnout of 72%. The source also correctly states that people do not seem more disengaged from the political system as participation outside the ballot box has increased. This is a convincing argument, as party membership has risen steadily since 203, with Labour having 480,000 members. This suggests that, not only has electoral turnout not yet led to a crisis, with the number of people voting increasing each year, but people are also not disengaged with politic
s, as the number of party memberships is still extremely high.
The source also claims that the introduction of new political institutions since 997.. Have had little impact. This may be correct as the number of people belonging to trade unions throughout the UK is significantly lower than it was several decades ago, where it was then suggested that political participation was at its peak. However, this may not be representative of the UKs political participation, as during those decades there was a need for trade unions to represent the rights of workers in the UK, which is no longer as prominent today. Instead, there has been an increase in those belonging to pressure groups in order to raise awareness for their views. This has seen a significant increase in those applying to be members of organisations such as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which boasts a membership equivalent to double the membership of the Liberal Democrats, Labour and Conservative parties put together. This increase in pressure group membership suggests that levels of political interest have not fallen, and people remain confident in their own ability to engage with the political process albeit not by being members of political parties. This also contradicts the view that political institutions have not had little impact in restoring peoples trust and confidence as people are confident in the ability of institutions such as RSPB to represent their political and environmental interests.