Participation beyond voting is limited
- Reasoning
- Most people would not do more than vote.
- Evidence
- Only 18% would join a demonstration and 11% donate to a party.
- How it supports the argument
- 22% would do none of the listed activities.
ApprovedConcludedStatistic
Title
Hansard Society Audit of Political Engagement, 2019
Date
8 April 2019
Relevant topic(s)
Democracy and participationDirect and representative democracyDemocracy and participationPressure groups
What happened?
The Hansard Society's annual Audit of Political Engagement measures how people in Britain take part in politics. Its 2019 report, published during the Brexit crisis, asked what people would be prepared to do if they felt strongly about an issue.
Voting remained by far the most popular option, and most other activities were chosen by only a minority.
- Source to checkAsked what they would do if they felt strongly about an issue, 58% said vote, 37% contact a representative, 34% sign an e-petition, 18% join a demonstration and 11% donate to a party; 22% would do none of these.
- The report was published on 8 April 2019.
Source to check Established knowledge, but the cited source has not yet been opened
Why is it politically significant?
The figures show that, beyond voting, political participation is a minority activity, which supports the view that participation is narrow and unequal even if it has not collapsed.
How to use
Which arguments does it support?
Voting is still the main form of participation
- Reasoning
- More people would vote than take any other action.
- Evidence
- 58% said they would vote.
- How it supports the argument
- The next most popular action was 37%.
Which counterarguments exist?
Limits of the evidence
Intentions are not actions
The survey asks what people would do, not what they actually did.
Other explanations
Online participation is significant
A third would sign an e-petition, suggesting newer, easier forms of participation are widespread.
Concepts and connections
Concepts it illustrates
Sources and verification
Event8 April 2019
Added to bank11 November 2026
Last checked11 November 2026
Next check due11 May 2027
- 1Opened
About this example
Is it still current?
Concluded
The development has ended or been reversed, but remains useful evidence.
Why it is in the bank
Survey evidence on how people participate, for answers on the participation crisis.
- ✓Relevance to the specification
- PartlyStrength and reliability of the evidenceThe figures are the editor's. The Hansard Society report could not be opened while drafting, so check them against its tables.
- ✓Importance to a wider political debate
- ✓Usefulness in evaluative essays
- ✓Connections to other topics
- ✓Sufficiently current
- ✓Adds something new to the bank
Editorial status
Approved
Signed off for students.
Origin: AI draft (Claude) · Reviewer: Editor
Every fact on this page has been checked against original sources.