Poll: U.S. Voter Activism

At a time when conventional wisdom holds that the American voter is turned off and tuned out, the CBS News poll finds that there is an activist core within the electorate that not only participates in many aspects of politics, but also puts more faith than the average American in our political system.

When asked about participation in a range of political activities over the last four years, including things like making campaign donations, signing petitions and contacting members of Congress, roughly one-fifth of Americans (19 percent) report participating in at least 4 out of 8 of these activities. These "Activists" compose the cream of the American voter crop - they say they vote either always or almost always, and they believe that government matters.

TYPES OF POLITICAL PARTICIPATION

Twenty-five percent of Americans have not participated in any of these political activities in the last four years ("Passives"), and another 25 percent have participated in only one of these activities ("Near Passives"). Almost one-third of Americans (31 percent) have participated in two to three political activities over the past four years ("Near Activists").

Profile of an Activist

The most politically active segment of the American population is composed primarily of the most educated and highest earning portions of society. The Activists are also predominantly middle-aged, with low representation from the youngest and the oldest.

The most politically Passive group is made up of those with the least education, the lowest incomes, and both the elderly and the young.

DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILES

Politically, Activists are more Republican and more conservative than Passives. At the same time, Activists are less likely to be political independents than Passives are, but they are equally as likely to be Democratic.

Activists are also plugged in as well as tuned in: Activists are much more likely to be connected to the Internet than are Passives. Even controlling for education levels, Activists are substantially more likely to have on-line access. For example, 73 percent of Activists who have no college experience are on-line, compared with only 44 percent of non- college educated Passives.

For the most part, participation in individual activities follows these same demographic trends, with a few notable exceptions. While the youngest adults are the least likely to participate in general, they are the most likely to call in to a radio or television talk show. And while geography has little impact on activism overall, adults who live in the referendum-heavy western states are 17 points more likely to have signed a petition in the last four years: 73 percent of westerners have, versus 56 percent of all American adults.

Activism and Attitudes

Political Activists are the most likely group to vote, and they do so on a regular basis. In the 1996 presidential elections, 88 percent of the most active group report having voted, compared with only 51 percent of Passives. Additionally, 69 percent of the most active say they vote all of the time, while another 24 percent report voting nearly always. Only 24 percent of the most passive group vote all of the time, while 26 percent vote nearly all of the time.

Political activism is strongly related to a sense that the political system and elections matter. Whether activism promotes a sense of efficacy or vice versa, the connection is clear. Political Activists are much more likely than political Passives to believ that politics and government make a difference.

Activists are more likely than Passives to see government's potential, although they do not believe government currently lives up to that potential. An overwhelming 82% of Activists believe that government CAN have a positive impact on their lives. In comparison, 63 percent of Passives believe it can. At the same time, however, Activists are more likely than Passives to believe that government's CURRENT impact is a negative one. Forty-six percent of Activists believe the government has a negative impact on most people's lives, while 35 percnet of Passives agree.

Members of the most activist group believe that they have some say in what the government does, while most Passives believe they do not. Fifty-three percent of Activists feel they have some or a good deal of say in what government does, while only 43 percent of Passives. A 55 percent majority of Passives feel they do not have much say in government.

POLITICAL EFFICACY AND ACTIVISM

Roughly two-thirds of Activists feel that presidential elections matter: 69 percent disagree with the statement that "it makes no real difference who is elected president, things go on just as they did before." Only a slim majority of Passives - 53 percent - feel the same way.

Why People Don't Vote

Cynicism about the American political system is on the rise as a reason for voter inactivity. 20 percent of Americans report that they are not currently registered to vote; when asked why they are not registered, many blame a recent move (25 percent), but still more cite generally cynical views of the political system as the reason (28 percent total).

Fourteen percent of non-registered adults say they are not registered because they are not interested in elections or voting, another 8 percent believe voting does not matter, and 6 percent say they are not registered because they do not like politicians or political candidates. This 28 percent total for the "tuned out" is higher than the 21 percent who cited similar reasons in October of 1998.

REASONS FOR NON-REGISTRATION

Among those Americans who are registered to vote but did not participate in the 1996 presidential elections, the reasoning is similar: 16 percent did not vote because they did not like the candidate choices, 9 percent were not interested in the election, and 5 percent felt that their vote wouldn't matter.