Democratic Participation in a Globalised World: Immigrants in Australia in the Early 21st Century

Abstract

This study considers patterns of political participation in Australia in the early 21st century, using recent data from the Australian Election Study. The paper reassesses how Australia fits within broader patterns of political participation and investigates major predictors of participation in Australia to see how these have or have not changed in a globalised era that has brought new challenges. Factors considered include socio-demographic variables, such as education, age, gender, birthplace and place of residence and also attitudinal orientations towards politics, such as political interest, efficacy and trust. The paper pays particular attention to those who have moved to Australia from other countries. One of the most important findings is that immigrants show little or no sign of any participatory disadvantage and indeed tend to participate more than the Australian-born in some modes of participation, such as campaign activities. The analysis also identifies a clear participatory divide within a number of sociodemographic groups in use of the internet for gaining election information.One of the striking things about the early studies of democratic political participation was the similarities that emerged in many different national contexts. Apart from turning out to vote in national elections, most citizens in most countries did not engage in political activity in any great measure and there was a tendency for the activities that did attract participation to be much the same and similarly patterned in socio-structural and attitudinal terms even in quite disparate political systems (Milbrath and Goel 1977;Verba, Nie and Kim 1978). Conducted mostly in the 1950s and 1960s, this pioneering research self-evidently came well before the appearance of the contemporary focus on globalisation, signalling that global patterns of political behaviour should not automatically be assumed to be a response to very recent global developments. More recent cross-national research has reinforced the picture of participation being more similar than different across many countries of the world (for example, Dalton 2008).

Does Religious Attendance Increase Immigrant Political Participation?: A Case Study in Australia

“…These measures are political interest and political efficacy, which are used as dependent and independent variables, respectively. Bean (2012) showed that political efficacy is related to political participation among immigrants in Australia. Calhoun-Brown (1996) also showed that regular attendance at religious activities boosts relevant psychological resources including political efficacy.…”

“…Others say it doesn't make any difference who is in power. Using the scale below, where would you place yourself?” In addition to efficacy, Australian literature shows that political interest is also a psychological component of motivation, and a strong predictor of immigrant political participation (Bean 2012). Religious attendance can increase interest in politics due to mobilization by clergy, informal social ties, and small group activities (McClerking and McDaniel 2005; Peterson 1992).…”

“…With increased attention on the role of immigrants in Australian politics, one crucial finding has shown that migrants are at least as likely as Australian-born citizens to engage in political participation (e.g., Bean 2012; Bilodeau, McAllister, and Kanji 2010; McAllister and Makkai 1992; McAllister 2011). This finding is not consistent with findings from previous studies in North America and Europe (e.g., Heath et al 2013; Myrberg and Rogstad 2011; Verba, Schlozman, and Brady 1995; Wong et al 2011).…”

“…This finding is not consistent with findings from previous studies in North America and Europe (e.g., Heath et al 2013; Myrberg and Rogstad 2011; Verba, Schlozman, and Brady 1995; Wong et al 2011). Clive Bean (2012, 129) argued the need for future research to investigate the reasons behind the patterns of participation by immigrants in Australia. Religious attendance has been regarded as one of the means by which political participation might be promoted (Rosenstone and Hansen 1993; Verba, Schlozman, and Brady 1995).…”

“…While immigrant political participation in Australia has been the focus of scholarly literature, studies of immigrant political participation are notably uneven. Some factors have received considerable scholarly attention, such as the duration of residence, access to socio-economic resources, premigration experiences, and political predispositions (Bean 2012; Bilodeau 2008; Bilodeau, McAllister, and Kanji 2010; McAllister and Makkai 1991; 1992).…”