The Network Society - University of Massachusetts Amherst

Societies in Transition to the Network Society 57
Table 2.15 Participation over time in established and new
democracies
During and before After change
change of regime of regime Change
Argentina 34 29 –5
Brazil 25 25 0
Chile 38 25 –13
Mexico 32 22 –7
Bulgaria 28 18 –10
Czech Republic 24 23 –1
East Germany 75 63 –12
Hungary 20 24 4
Poland 20 26 6
Slovenia 27 30 3
Slovakia 28 15 –13
1981/1991 1995/2001 Difference
Portugal 25 27 2
Spain 31 34 3
Italy 52 62 10
USA 68 79 11
Belgium 39 75 36
France 54 72 18
Denmark 55 68 13
Japan 49 55 6
West Germany 54 60 6
Switzerland 62 68 6
United Kingdom 71 80 9
Source: Adapted from Inglehart (2001) on the basis of 1981-2001 World Values Survey.
According to Inglehart (2001), the data show that in 21 countries
studied between 1981 and 1990, although the people vote less regularly,
they are not becoming more apathetic. On the contrary, they
would seem to have become more interested in politics. This opinion
is confirmed by the studies carried out by Castells (2003a) in
Catalonia and Cardoso (2005) in Portugal.
As Table 3.18 shows, interest in politics increased in 16 countries
and decreased in only 4. Portugal is in the group of countries where
political participation is lowest and has stagnated, as is Spain. In both
countries, a period of rapid increase in participation in the 1970s was
followed by a process of democratic normalization.