BLOG 2 Inequalities and Political Engagement

‘DO POLITICS’

To be politically educated means to be politically activated!

Research indicates that a person’s socioeconomic status is a firm predictor of how politically active a person is. (Kulachai, Lerdtomornsakul and Homyamyen, 2023) As a third-year student who is just about to complete her degree, I will continue to vote with the knowledge that for our democracy to be truly legitimate it needs to be truly representative. In other words, to state that I intend to vote is not enough! (publications.parliament.uk, n.d.)

Moreover, as a middle-class student in higher education, who is fully conversant with contemporary politics it is clear that this is not the case for other young adults from other socio-economic classes. The graph below illustrates why it is crucial to be aware of the link between a person’s socio-economic status and the extent to which this impacts levels of political engagement.

As the graph clearly indicates, there is a strong correlation between an individual’s socio-economic status and the level of political participation they engage in; including the right to exercise a vote!

(Skinner, Pedley and Spielman, n.d.)

What are the implications of these socio-economic inequalities in political participation? For our democracy? For those individuals lower down the social class ladder who don’t vote and demonstrate seeming apathy in political engagement generally?

Quite simply: if you don’t vote, your interests will not be represented because they are rendered invisible! Furthermore, low voting turnout along socio-economic class lines as outlined in above graph, has dire consequences for our representative democracy and can even threaten and challenge the nature and extent to which we presume it is stable. (The Independent, 2023) Significant minorities of non-voters have nothing to lose in challenging the system outside of the acceptable channels that we value as active participants of our democratic system; civil liberties and freedoms could be at stake and extremist factions could be born. (Wagner, Johann and Kritzinger, 2012)

Now what? Next steps?

Make Civic Learning mandatory!

Political socialisation within the home:

A typical ritual in my family involved watching the news and using this to discuss various political issues and concerns of the day. Debates regarding the strengths and weaknesses of political party’s respective manifestos were common; when I was old enough they took me to vote. This situation, however, is not necessarily the same for all socio-economic classes! It is claimed that those children from lower socio-economic groups are likely to have parents that are not educated or bothered (Bowles and Gintis, cultural deprivation)

Education! Education! Education! (thank you, Tony Blair, for your words of wisdom at the 1996 Labour Party Conference)

Research has strongly indicated that education is the key. To educate, is to engage, to engage is to motivate. How? Civic learning! Evidence demonstrates that in-school civic participation can compensate for a disadvantaged background for developing future electoral participation and civic knowledge in such students. Engaging in extracurricular activities like student councils, debating organisations, or mock elections could be a good starting point!

Let’s promote involvement as a means of incentive! (Weinberg J, 2021)

All schools, in other words, should promote more equal access to learning: and provide plenty of opportunities for open classroom debates and active citizenship projects. Research strongly indicates that such an universal approach will definitely benefit those students from lower socio-economic backgrounds and, it is intimated, positively impact political participation rates and voting turnouts of such social groups. (Hoskins, Huang and Arensmeier, 2021)

Now what? Next steps?

Inspire young adults to see the significance of political engagement for their futures!

Make going to higher education an achievable goal and a financially-viable goal!
Or, offer alternative ways to politically engage on a non-HE option-route

Pupils eligible for free school meals are much less likely than other pupils to go into higher education, particularly to more prestigious universities. They are also almost twice as likely to drop out before the start of their second year in higher education. There is a very clear pattern showing students from areas with higher levels of deprivation are more likely to drop out of university. (Lewis and Bolton, 2023)

See the below graph.

(Wyness, 2017)

Can government policy address the reasons why?

Despite current funding measures for students whose household income is less than £21,000, they are entitled to young students’ bursary of £2,000 and a student loan of £9,400. As of 2022-23, the average student loan debt across the UK was highest in England (£50,150), (All-Party Parliamentary Groups for Students) (Lewis, Bolton and Hubble, 2021) Students most negatively impacted are those from the lowest socio-economic backgrounds. Rising inflation rates have exacerbated the situation experienced by poorer students; according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, these have left the poorest students in England around £1,500 worse off. This begs the question: what can Universities with less advantaged students do to help level things up (Sloam et al 2021) The government needs to be on board and address these mitigating circumstances!

Maybe this is something that we can raise an awareness of; marking, petitions and demonstrations!

Essentially, the social class differences in terms of applications to university need to be addressed! However, it also has to be acknowledged that even if the social class gap is effectively addressed there are still those from lower socio-economic backgrounds that will not want to take the higher education route. To ensure, therefore, that political education and participation is still possible for such students, vocational courses and apprenticeships might be an option; such courses provide the opportunity to ‘earn while you learn’.

Vocational and apprenticeship courses will mean that you can earn money while gathering valuable knowledge and education, skills and personalised expertise in your chosen field of study or career /job choice. Most importantly, this can all be achieved without generating a life-impacting amount of debt! (www.edc.ac.uk, n.d.)

Moreover, another option is an apprenticeship that consists of: paid work with paid time off; practical experience in a relevant field or profession; at least 20% of training outside of the workplace; and formal evaluation leading to a nationally acknowledged credential.(HM Government, nd)

The message is consistently clear: to acknowledge that ‘education is key’ when addressing the socio-economic disparities in political engagement. Universities, in close collaboration with the Government of the day, should address the serious mitigating circumstances along social class lines OR offer viable alternative educational routes to expose those from lower socio-economic classes to the contextual educational reminders of how politics is linked to all aspects of their adult lives.

Reference:
Lewis, J. and Bolton, P. (2023). Equality of access and outcomes in higher education in England. commonslibrary.parliament.uk. [online] Available at: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9195/.

Wyness, G. (2017). RULES OF THE GAME. [online] Available at: https://www.suttontrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Rules-of-the-Game.pdf.

Lewis, J., Bolton, P. and Hubble, S. (2021). Student support for undergraduates across the UK. commonslibrary.parliament.uk. [online] Available at: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-8237/.

www.edc.ac.uk. (n.d.). Vocational Course Levels Explained | East Durham College. [online] Available at: https://www.edc.ac.uk/knowledge-base/topic/vocational-course-levels-explained

HM Government (n.d.). What is an apprenticeship? [online] www.apprenticeships.gov.uk. Available at: https://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/influencers/what-is-an-apprenticeship#.

Skinner, G., Pedley, K. and Spielman, D. (n.d.). IPSOS MORI How the voters voted in the 2019 election. https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/how-britain-voted-2019-election#:~:text=The%20Conservatives%20had%20a%2073,%2C%20and%2020%25%20the%20Conservativ

Weinberg, J. (2021). Civic education as an antidote to inequalities in political participation? New evidence from English secondary education. British Politics, 17(2). doi:https://doi.org/10.1057/s41293-021-00186-4.

Sloam, J., Kisby, B., Henn, M. and Oldfield, B.(2021). Voice, equality and education: the role of higher education in defining the political participation of young Europeans. Comparative European Politics, pp.1-27

HM Government (n.d.). What is an apprenticeship? [online] www.apprenticeships.gov.uk. Available at: https://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/influencers/what-is-an-apprenticeship#.

Hoskins, B., Huang, L. and Arensmeier, C. (2021). Socioeconomic Inequalities in Civic Learning in Nordic Schools: Identifying the Potential of In-School Civic Participation for Disadvantaged Students. IEA Research for Education, pp.93–122. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-66788-7_5.

Wagner, M., Johann, D. and Kritzinger, S. (2012). Voting at 16: Turnout and the quality of vote choice. Electoral Studies, [online] 31(2), pp.372–383. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electstud.2012.01.007.

The Independent. (2023). It’s time to embrace proportional representation | Femi Oluwole. [online] Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium/proportional-representation-labour-conservatives-b2346672.html [Accessed 28.Mar 2024].

Kulachai, W., Lerdtomornsakul, U. and Homyamyen, P. (2023). Factors Influencing Voting Decision: A Comprehensive Literature Review. Social Sciences, [online] 12(9), pp.1–16. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12090469.

publications.parliament.uk. (n.d.). House of Commons – Voter engagement in the UK – Political and Constitutional Reform. [online] Available at: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselect/cmpolcon/232/23205.htm

Bibliography:

HM Government (n.d.). What is an apprenticeship? [online] www.apprenticeships.gov.uk. Available at: https://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/influencers/what-is-an-apprenticeship#.

Lewis, J. and Bolton, P. (2023). Equality of access and outcomes in higher education in England. commonslibrary.parliament.uk. [online] Available at: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9195/

Wyness, G. (2017). RULES OF THE GAME. [online] Available at: https://www.suttontrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Rules-of-the-Game.pdf.

www.edc.ac.uk. (n.d.). Vocational Course Levels Explained | East Durham College. [online] Available at: https://www.edc.ac.uk/knowledge-base/topic/vocational-course-levels-explained

Gabriella Louisa Seager Philp – Active Citizenship

Active Citizenship

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