Science News
Forcing people to vote doesn’t make them more engaged citizens, study from Belgium finds. Removing penalties for not voting drastically reduces electoral participation but leaves a population’s political engagement and democratic attitudes largely unchanged.…
• 🗳️ Study in Public Opinion Quarterly finds mandatory voting doesn't automatically increase political interest or democratic support. Removing penalties for not voting drastically cut participation but left engagement and attitudes largely unchanged.
• 🇧🇪 Belgium's policy change in 2021 allowing Flanders to opt out of mandatory local voting in 2024 provided a unique real-world test. Turnout in Flanders plummeted from ~92% to ~63% for local elections, while remaining high (~84%) in regions with mandatory voting.
• 📊 Despite the sharp drop in voting, researchers found no significant differences in how political attitudes evolved between Flanders and the rest of Belgium. Satisfaction with democracy, political interest, and knowledge remained stable across regions.
• 🧑🔬 The act of voting, whether required or voluntary, doesn't appear to drive deep changes in core political attitudes. Even citizens who stopped voting after the requirement was lifted showed no measurable drop in political interest or democratic support.
#CompulsoryVoting #Democracy #PoliticalScience
• 🇧🇪 Belgium's policy change in 2021 allowing Flanders to opt out of mandatory local voting in 2024 provided a unique real-world test. Turnout in Flanders plummeted from ~92% to ~63% for local elections, while remaining high (~84%) in regions with mandatory voting.
• 📊 Despite the sharp drop in voting, researchers found no significant differences in how political attitudes evolved between Flanders and the rest of Belgium. Satisfaction with democracy, political interest, and knowledge remained stable across regions.
• 🧑🔬 The act of voting, whether required or voluntary, doesn't appear to drive deep changes in core political attitudes. Even citizens who stopped voting after the requirement was lifted showed no measurable drop in political interest or democratic support.
#CompulsoryVoting #Democracy #PoliticalScience