Confidence in the Federal Government and Voter Turnout Essay -- Resear

Confidence in the Federal Government and Voter Turnout Introduction Since the presidency of John F. Kennedy, there has been a decline in American confidence in the federal government (Walker, 2000). The importance of confidence in the American federal government is immense. Political participation can be defined as â€Å"Any activity that attempts to influence public policy or the selection of government officials† (Austin Community College). One hopes that Americans do not lack confidence in the federal government because they dislike this style of government. Democracy for many years has been trumpeted and hailed by many as the best way a government can truly reflect, respect and represent her citizens. Having a great deal of confidence and participating in governance can create a more patriotic spirit in citizens, which in turn might lead to more citizens participating politically, thereby making the country more democratic. It can be a propelling force behind a nation’s success, affecting all aspects of her citizens’ lives: education, business, government, families, and community organizations (McLagan & Nel, 1997). Since the 1970’s, the level of confidence in the federal government of America has drastically decreased. To illustrate the decline in confidence, the Cable News Network (CNN) Broadcasting Company recently conducted polls on confidence of the American public. Among their results were that â€Å"4 out of 5 [American adults] lack confidence in government† (Kyoko, 1997). This is approximately 153,600,000 million Americans! According to the CNN polls, â€Å"when asked to name two or three government successes of the past 30 years, 42 percent of the respondents could not even name one† (Kyoko, 1997).... ...1985, August). Religion and political change: The impacts of institutional connectedness and religious imagery. (Bib01414). Paper presented to the American Political Science Association. New Orleans, LA. Keystone Research Center. http://keystoneresearch.org/ 90 Ihuegbu Honors College Review 2001 press.releases/pademocracy.html Kyoko, A. (1997, March 21). Four of 5 Americans lack confi dence in government. Cable News Network [On-line]. Available: http://www.cnn.com/us/9703/21/govt.poll/ McLagan, P., & Nel, C. (1997). San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers. ReadersNdex Archive [On-line]. Available: http://www.readersndex.com/imprint/000001n/00001cj/ 0000†¦/title.htm Walker, D. (2000, April 25). Improving government perfor mance and building trust. John C. Whitehead Forum [On-line]. Available: http://www.excelgov.org/whitehead/ walker_speech.htm