“There is no participation crisis in the UK.” Analyse and evaluate this statement. (21/25)
The participation crisis in the UK implies the increasing trend of lower turnout over the years in
general elections and referendums, suggesting an increased sense of apathy and general
disengagement with political affairs. Whilst turnout in elections and party membership have been
decreasing, recent referendums and online petitions have shown that on important issues, turnout
significantly increases.This suggests the decline of formal participation in democracy does not equal a
participation crisis, as informal democracy has been on the rise embodying how engagement in
politics, particularly among young people, demonstrates that people still participate in political affairs.
One reason why there may be no participation crisis in the UK is because of referendums. A
referendum is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This may result in
the adoption of a new policy or specific law, or the referendum may be only advisory. Recent
referendums have shown that on important issues where voting can be seen to make a difference
turnout increases. The 2014 Scottish independence referendum had a turnout of 84.5%, reaching
90% in some areas, and even included 16 and 17-year-old voters for the first time, with around 75%
participating. This shows the increased engagement of young people in politics as 97% of 16-17 year
olds who voted said that they would vote again in future referendums. The EU referendum
experienced 72% turnout, a record high for a UK-wide referendum, suggesting that the public does
want the chance to have their say. The results directly reflect the will of the people proving to be an
effective model for more direct democracy. Referendums are thus a means to encourage political
participation, as citizens might be more inclined to vote on a particular issue, arguably removing the
potential for a participation crisis. However, many referendums have had lower turnout than recent
general elections. Not only did only 50.1% of the Welsh electorate participate in the 1997 Welsh
Assembly referendum, but the ‘yes’ campaign won by the extremely narrow majority of 50.3%. Only a
quarter of the electorate endorsed this substantial constitutional reform, thus indicating a serious
participation crisis. The lack of voters illustrates the lack of support for the outcome of the vote as not
everyone’s voice is heard, making it fundamentally undemocratic. Furthermore, only 34% of eligible
voters participated in the 1998 referendum on whether to create a London mayor and London
Assembly, implying a general disinterest in the new position or simply a lack of knowledge. Whilst
some referendums do have a lower turnout, it is important to note that referendums in recent years
have generally had higher turnouts making the question of a ‘participation crisis’ misleading as results
have shown that the public choose to have a say when voting can be seen to make a difference.
Whilst increasing participation in referendums is encouraging, nonetheless there is undeniably lower
turnout in general elections which undermines the legitimacy of the result. An example was in the
2015 General Election when turnout was 66.1%, far below the high levels of the 1970s, where it
reached 78.8% in 1974. Of the 66.1% of the electorate that participated in 2015, only 36.9% voted for
the Conservative Party. This means that the current Conservative majority Government was endorsed
by just 24.4% of potential voters ultimately making it an unrepresentative government. As a
representative democracy, it is vital that turnout is high so that the resulting government can claim to
have a legitimate mandate to enact the policies in their manifesto. The 2012 Police and Crime
Commissioner elections also had record low turnout, with an average of just 15%, undermining the
notion of elected and accountable police officials. Yet, while general election turnout is lower than the
70s, it has been undeniably steadily increasing. Although only 61.4% of the electorate participated in
2005, this increased to 66.1% in 2015. It was also 2.5% higher in 2017 which took place after the
2016 EU referendum suggesting heightened political awareness. BSA opinion polls found in 2015
itself there was an all-time high of 36% voicing ‘a great deal’ of interest in politics. However, in 2016,
shortly after the EU referendum, the proportion increased noticeably to 42%, while the proportion who
indicated that they had little or no interest fell to little more than a quarter. Voters are more likely to
vote if they have a strong motivation to do so, and if they think there is an important and clear choice
between the options on the ballot paper (and especially so if it looks as though the result might be
