Parliamentary Outreach Service Report

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POL3130 Parliamentary Studies Project Registration No.: 110176194
Word Count: 6,985
How Can the
Parliamentary
Outreach Service
Work More
Effectively?
Project Supervisor: Professor Andrew Hindmoor

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Contents:
Executive Summary p. 3.
Introduction p. 5.
Chapter One:
The Academic Tradition p. 7.
Chapter Two:
Participation Today p. 13.
Chapter Three:
What Can Outreach Do? p. 23.
Conclusion p. 28.
References p. 29.

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Executive Summary
The main findings of this report are that:
 Levels of political participation in the United Kingdom (UK) are low and this
has been accompanied by falling levels of political trust
 Both the academic community and research carried out by organisations
show that political engagement is moving from formal to less formal means
 Younger people are far less likely to participate formally than older people but
do seem more likely to participate informally, especially through ethical
consumerism
 Variables other than age which affect political participation are education and
income. But the most influential factor affecting formal participation is interest
in politics
 Citizens DO feel strongly about certain issues but are yet to express their
views via political channels
 Citizens DO have the potential for collective action, as illustrated when they
participate within their communities through organisations
 There are existing initiatives to get more citizens participating and Outreach
should work with and learn from these
 Where it can, Outreach should integrate itself with existing local activities,
trying to show citizens that much of what they already do has some political
basis
 Social media is a useful tool for Outreach to engage younger people but this
is no substitute for face to face contact

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 By far, what Outreach needs to focus most of its efforts on is increasing
political interest, not solely on improving electoral turnout

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Introduction
Political participation is in low supply in the UK. The reason that this is a problem is
because political participation is at the very core of democracy. Whether direct or
representative, democracies rely on people being involved, in some way or another,
in the process of making decisions that govern their lives. That low levels of electoral
turnout have stirred a huge amount of concern is therefore quite understandable.
Government is well aware of this situation and it could be one of the reasons why it
implemented the Localism Act in 2011. This aimed to give local people more power
over their own lives, letting them call a referendum on any local issue that may affect
them.1 But while citizens may now be more inclined to engage in the civic arena, this
has not translated to engagement within the political arena. To bridge this gap is
something that government alone cannot do, and so it needs the help of Parliament’s
Outreach Service.
This report shall outline to Parliamentary Outreach how it can work more
effectively to politically engage citizens and more specifically, those in the 18 to 40
age bracket. After all, it is a known fact (as shall be shown in this report) that
younger people participate significantly less than older people. Divided into three
chapters, the first chapter of this report is an overview of the existing academic
tradition on political participation. The purpose of such a chapter is to lay out what
are the important themes, for it is only the most significant and longstanding of these
which would warrant the attention of the academic community. Ascertaining such
themes shall then set the parameters for the rest of this paper’s discussion. It will
also show Outreach that falling participation is not specific to the UK alone.
Chapter Two takes on more of an empirical tone, sketching out the exact state
of political participation in the UK today. As a result, this report shall be able to map
out a profile of the Outreach’s target group that it can use for future reference. Such
a profile will convey their attitudes towards politics, examining rates of both formal
and less formal means of political participation. But this chapter also goes beyond
the merely political; believing that not to do so is probably what has tripped up
1 Simon Tiernan, ‘Power to the People’, in The Quarterly: The Localism Edition, (Portland,2013).

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policymakers in the past. It shall tap into the everyday lives of Outreach’s target
group, from what constitutes their key issues of concern to how they get their news
and opinions, as well as how they participate within their communities. Providing a
broad profile in this way will better illustrate to Outreach who it is dealing with and
how it can tailor its service accordingly.
The final chapter of this report is dedicated to solutions. It will lay out some
existing initiatives that aim to improve political participation and afterwards give its
own solutions. The main message that this report aims to get across here is that
Outreach’s approach should be bold and willing to take risks. Furthermore, what this
report, in its entirety, deems to be most critical is that Outreach primarily dedicates
its energy to increasing interest in politics. Momentarily, at least, it should put formal
participation to one side.

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Chapter One: The Academic Tradition
In grappling with the state of political participation today, this report directs the
attention of Parliament’s Outreach Service firstly to the academic community. Much
has been said by scholars over political participation and its opposite number,
political disenchantment, and so to outline their findings will prove very fruitful,
especially for the final chapter of this report, concerning recommendations. In its
review of the existing literature, this chapter shall begin by discussing the point of
consensus between scholars, that we are witnessing declining levels of formal
participation. After positing the various explanations and factors accounting for this
decline, this chapter shall then discuss the rise in other, less formal forms of political
participation. It is intended that through this literature review, the key themes of
political participation will emerge and shall consequently lead the way for the
subsequent chapters of this report.
Formal Participation: Electoral Turnout
As mentioned above, a notion enjoying little dispute between members of the
academic community is that we are witnessing declining levels of formal political
participation.2 In particular, electoral turnout is low and the young are least likely to
vote. The work of Martin illustrates how this has materialised in Australia, where
older people are two times as likely as younger people to believe that voting in
elections is very important.3 But the real fear emerges from the findings of Hay and
Putnam, that each cohort of voters newly eligible to vote at elections are less likely to
cast their vote than the previous cohort. This means that turnout is set to continue to
decline because with each election, a younger cohort with a lower propensity to vote
replaces the most elderly cohort.4 In the UK, this has meant that whilst nine in ten
2 Colin Hay,Why We Hate Politics, (Cambridge, Polity Press,2007); Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone: The
Collapse and Revival of American Community, (London, Touchstone, 2001); Gerry Stoker, Why Politics Matters:
Making Democracy Work, (Basingstoke,Macmillan,2006).
3 Aaron Martin,‘Political Participation amongthe Young in Australia:TestingDalton’s Good Citizen Thesis’,
Australian Journal of Political Science, Vol. 47, 2, (London, Routledge, 2012),p. 217.
4 Hay, Hate Politics, p. 19; Putnam, Bowling Alone, p. 33.

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eligible to vote before 1964, casted their vote in the 1997 General Election, only six
in ten of those newly eligible did so.5
However, to analyse electoral turnout alone risks a conception of political
participation that is too narrow and restrictive. There are many other forms of
participation and, after all, elections only come around once every four or five years.
Nevertheless, it is also understandable why electoral turnout has garnered so much
scholarly attention, for elections are at the heart of liberal democracy’s conception of
politics.6 Furthermore, Putnam believes that those who vote are more likely to
cooperate with citizens on community affairs, suggesting a spill over effect from
electoral participation to broader societal participation.7 Therefore, much can be said
about the state of wider civic engagement in a community by looking at turnout
figures.
Party Membership
In any case, another form of formal participation prominent in the literature is
party membership. In OECD countries, Hay finds that levels of party membership are
in fact falling more rapidly than levels of electoral participation, citing the decline in
both to have originated in the 1960s.8 As with before, party membership is less likely
among young people, with Martin reporting that they are over three times less likely
to be a member of a political party than older people.9 The view taken by Hay is that
this failure of parties to mobilise has had the knock on effect of lower levels of
electoral turnout.10
On the other hand, Putnam finds that party organisations have become
bigger, richer and more professional in recent years. For example, 1996 saw
spending on election campaigns in the US rise to over $700 million from what was
5 Hay, Hate Politics, p. 18.
6 Ibid.,p. 12.
7 Putnam, Bowling Alone, p. 35.
9 Martin,‘Political Participation’,p. 217.

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originally $35 million in 1964.11 Yet while parties may be better financed than ever
before, Americans have only become further disengaged. As a result, Verba et al.
observe that party professionalization has changed the role of the citizen activist to
merely a writer of checks and letters.12 That we may be witnessing the death of the
political party as an effective campaign mechanism is starting to become ever more
justified.13
Political Trust
This decline in levels of formal participation is also mirrored by a decline in
levels of political trust. Demonstrative of this, Hay cites that in 1996 88% of UK
respondents were unable to attribute to their elected representative a primary
interest in pursuing collective over sectional interests.14 Interestingly, the academic
community does bear some of the responsibility for this. After all, it was their
formulated public choice theory which permeated the media, and thereby the views
of citizens.15 In short, public choice theory holds that political actors and public
servants are motivated by narrow self-interest alone.16 The decisions that they make
prioritise their short term career benefits and not the long term considerations of
public. Such cynicism is now deeply shared by many, with the term politics becoming
synonymous with corruption, inefficiency and undue interference.17
Explanations: Political Interest
What the above has shown is just how pervasive notions of falling
participation and political trust are in the academic tradition. This chapter shall now
outline some of the explanations that scholars have proposed which may have led to
this state of political disenchantment. One of these holds that falling rates of
participation are due to low levels of political interest. Martin even considers political
11 Putnam, Bowling Alone, p. 39.
12 Sidney Verba, Kay Lehman Schlozman and Henry E. Brady, Voice and Equality: Civic Voluntarism in American
Politics, (Cambridge, Harvard University Press,1995),p. 73.
14 Ibid.,p. 37.
15 Ibid.,p. 4.
16 Colin Hay,Gerry Stoker and Andy Williamson,‘RevitalisingPolitics:HaveWe Lost the Plot’, (Hansard Society,
2008),p. 8.

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interest to be more influential than age.18 This seems understandable, for if one has
enough interest in politics, one’s age would surely not matter.
Education
Other explanations dig further, and analyse what has an effect on levels of
political interest. A crucial factor here would be education. For instance, the 2002
European Social Survey was cited as finding that those reaching the tertiary stage of
education have consistently higher levels of political engagement than those who do
not.19 Developing this somewhat, a study in the US examining the Social and
Economic Status factor found that those with high incomes and high status jobs, as
well as a higher education, are shown to be more active in politics.20 Contesting this
however, Hay points out that whilst we would expect to see higher levels of formal
participation due to the recent increase in quality of education in advanced liberal
democracies, the reality is that we are not.21 Education, therefore, is an area
attracting some degree of dispute within the academic tradition, and it alone is not
enough to explain the decline in political participation.
Informal Participation
In this report’s discussion of the existing academic tradition so far, it has
devoted all of its attention to traditional, formal means of political participation.
However, in reality there are other less formal means of participation and it is in
these where the engagement of young people seems more promising. One of these
means is ethical consumerism which the Economic and Social Research Council
(ESRC) finds to have been on the increase since the mid-1980s.22 Ethical
consumerism is the practice of consuming certain products over others to indicate
19 Stoker, Politics Matters, p. 93.
20 Ibid.,p. 93.

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one’s political preferences. Pattie et al. find such strategies to be effective, for
example, in getting Nestle to modify their policy towards Ethiopian debt.23
As mentioned above, such activities have proved particularly popular among
the young. This lends support to Dalton’s ‘good citizen thesis’ which holds that while
young people in advanced democracies are less likely to participate in electoral
forms of activity, they are nonetheless more likely to engage in non-electoral
alternatives.24 This feeds into another of Martin’s findings. Contrary to what he said
about electoral participation, as far as non-electoral alternatives are concerned, age,
is the most influential factor, not political interest.25 Closer analysis by McCaffrie and
Marsh shows that this is due to differing conceptions of citizenship. Whilst the
younger generation understand good citizenship in terms of engaging with society,
the older generation take it to mean duties, and compulsory voting (in Australia) is
one of these.26
Closing Thoughts
It is here, where this chapter on the academic tradition on political
participation shall close. What it has shown is that claims of falling formal
participation are not exaggerated, with electoral turnout and party membership on
the decline. There are a whole host of reasons as to why this may be and
consequently, there can be no single most important factor, although levels of
political interest do seem critical. However, this does not mean that political
participation, as a whole has no future. Less formal forms of participation show some
promise, particularly among the young, and it is these which Parliamentary Outreach
must take advantage of. However, only so much can be gauged from the academic
community. One of its members Colin Hay, has even said that their findings are
slightly skewed due to the similar level of political interest that they take for granted
23 Charles Pattie,Patrick Seyd and Paul Whiteley,‘Civic Attitudes and Engagement in Modern Britain’,
Parliamentary Affairs, 56, (Oxford,Oxford University Press,2003), p. 622.
24 Russell Dalton, The Good Citizen: How a Younger Generation is Reshaping American Politics, (Washington,
CQ Press,2008).
26 Brendan McCaffrieand David Marsh,‘Beyond MainstreamApproaches to Political Participation:AResponse
to Aaron Martin’, Australian Journal of Political Science, Vol. 48, 1, (London, Routledge, 2013),p. 113.

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on the part of their political subjects.27 Therefore, in order to more objectively grasp
the state of participation today, this report shall turn its attention to contemporary
research carried out by organisations. It is to this task that the next chapter shall
endeavour.

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Chapter Two: Participation Today
The previous chapter went some way to laying out the themes of political
participation from the point of view of the academic community. But despite being
successful in laying the groundwork for discussion, the views of academics are not
enough for Parliamentary Outreach to go by in order to better its services. It needs to
address the state of political participation today and thus see if academic theory still
holds up to reality. As such this chapter’s task is to give a participation profile of the
group that Outreach is mainly concerned with: 18 to 40 year olds and, where
possible, with a regionally specific focus in the North East, and Yorkshire and the
Humber. This chapter shall firstly outline their attitudes towards politics, moving on to
what constitutes their key issues of concern. Following this, it shall then investigate
their levels of participation within society and outside of the political arena. Lastly,
this chapter shall address how they get their news and opinions, in the hope of giving
Outreach some inclination as to how they can communicate to their target group
most effectively. All throughout, this chapter shall consider the factors affecting this
group’s levels of participation, for it is these that Outreach exercises most control
over, as shall be further explored in the final chapter of this report.
Attitudes towards Politics: Electoral Turnout
This chapter shall begin in the same way as the last and focus on rates of
electoral turnout. It has been established that these are in decline, but what exactly
has this meant for the UK? Electoral turnout has never quite reached its peak of 82%
in 1950, but the real concern resides in the difference in turnout rates between the
younger and older members of the electorate. A recent British Social Attitudes (BSA)
survey indicates that while 45% of the former reported voting in the last General
Election, the proportion of those aged 65 and over who voted is almost double this
(88%).28 Moreover, this gap in turnout rates between 18 to 24 year olds and those
aged 65 and over is set to widen from what was 18% in 1970, to 32% in 2010.29
28 Lucy Lee and Penny Young, ‘Politics’,in British Social Attitudes: the 30th Report, ed. Alison Park,Caroline
Bryson, Elizabeth Clery, John Curtice and Miranda Phillips(London, NatCen Social Research,2013),p. 72.
29 Sarah Birch,Glenn Gottfried and Guy Lodge, Divided Democracy: Political Inequality in the UK and Why It
Matters, (London, Institutefor Public Policy Research,2013),p.2.

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Prospects for the coming General Election in 2015 are even less optimistic, with only
12% of 18 to 25 year olds stating that they will definitely vote.30
The reason that voting has attracted so much attention is because there is a
clear correlation between turnout and resource allocation. For instance, an Institute
for Public Policy Research (IPPR) report finds that since the last General Election,
16 to 24 year olds have faced cuts worth 28% of their annual household income,
whereas for 55 to 74 year olds this figure amounts to only 10%.31 Thus, the
government has a policy bias in favour of older citizens for it is they who actually
bother to vote. It is important, therefore, that Outreach gets this across to young
people as one of the many reasons why they should participate in elections. Such
aged based variation is further reflected in the proportions of those thinking that it is
a duty to vote. Lee and Young find that the difference between the oldest and
youngest cohort who take this view has consistently been between 20% and 26% at
each time point.32 This chimes with Martin’s finding in the previous chapter, where in
Australia, older people are twice as likely as younger people to believe that voting in
elections is very important.33
Party Identification
With party identification, the story is no different. In 1983 only 48% reported
not being a strong supporter of a political party, but this has now increased to 69%.34
This fall in partisan identification is becoming particularly prominent among younger
populations, with 85% of 24 to 33 year olds stating that they had a party allegiance in
1983, but in 2012 only 66% of 23 to 32 year olds could say the same.35 Such low
partisan identification could signal the death of the party as an effective campaign
mechanism, as pointed out by Hay in the previous chapter.36 But more importantly
for this report, it means that citizens today are less inclined to make one single party
30 Matthew Flinders,‘Election 2015: ‘Don’t Vote, It Just Encourages the B**stards’’, (Bernard Crick Centre,
2013) http://www.crickcentre.org/?p=284 (accessed 23 April 2014).
31 Birch et al.,Divided Democracy, p. 2.
32 Lee and Young, ‘Politics’,p.71.
34 Alison Park,CarolineBryson,Elizabeth Clery,John Curticeand Miranda Phillips, British Social Attitudes: the
30th Report, (London, NatCen Social Research),p.viii.

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symbol decide all of their preferences on political issues. Instead, they are more
frequently required to make up their own mind but need political knowledge to do so.
How Outreach can facilitate this knowledge gap is an issue to be discussed in
Chapter Three.
Political Trust
Coinciding with this fall in levels of electoral turnout and partisan identification
is the simultaneous plummet in levels of political trust. Lee and Young observe that
in 2012 three times as many people said that they almost never trust government as
they did in 1986.37 As expected, this lack of trust is mainly found among the young,
with 52% of 18 to 34 year olds declaring their mistrust in politics, compared to only
16% of those aged over 55.38 Quite rightly then, the group that Outreach needs to
seriously engage is the one in question: 18 to 40 year olds.
Explanations: Education and Income
But age is not the only factor affecting people’s attitudes towards politics.
Education is also significant, for example, with 76% of those with a degree or above
reporting that they voted in the last General Election, compared to 63% of those with
O levels or equivalent.39 Birch et al. explain that this is because graduates are often
exposed to student political activism during their time at university.40 Other factors
affecting turnout include one’s income, which in turn may often be influenced by
one’s level of education. Illustrating this, the gap in turnout between the highest
income group and the lowest income group, jumped from a manageable 4% in 1987
to 23% in 2010.41 Epitomising this inequality of electoral participation based on both
age and income, IPPR find that the likelihood of an individual voting who is under the
age of 35 and earning less than £10,000 is just 34%. In contrast, the likelihood of an
38 Veronique Jochum, EllieBrodie,Neena Bhati and Karl Wilding, Participation: trends, facts and figures,
(London, National Council for Voluntary Organisations,2011),p.34.
41 Ibid.,p. 2.

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individual voting who is over the age of 55, with an income of at least £40,000 is
79%.42
Political Interest
However, like Martin’s observations in the previous chapter, demographic
variables aside, political interest axiomatically has the most significant influence on
electoral participation. Demonstrative of this, the latest BSA survey found that 86%
of those with a great deal or quite a lot of interest in politics reported voting in 2010,
compared to 53% of those with not very much or no interest at all.43 Elaborating on
this, Birch et al. hold that attentiveness to politics is the mechanism through which
demographic variables, such as education and income, affect voting behaviour.44 By
this it is meant that those who are more educated and have greater material
resources are also more likely to become interested in politics, and thus cast their
vote in the ballot box.
Like before, interest in politics is more pronounced among older people, with
39% of 73 to 82 year olds claiming some interest, compared to 23% of 23 to 32 year
olds.45 Given Birch et al.’s finding above, it also comes as no surprise that 52% of
those with a degree are interested in politics, compared to 24% of those with no
qualification.46 What the above suggests is that out of all the factors exerting some
effect on electoral participation, Outreach should focus most of its energy on political
interest. Demographic variables are, for the most part, quite static and an external
body such as Outreach can only do so much to affect them. On the other hand, there
are a whole host of actions that it can take to increase citizen interest in politics, of
which this report shall outline in its final chapter.
42 Ibid.,p. 9.
46 Ibid.,p. 62.

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Informal Participation: Petitions
But the picture is not completely negative. A recent Office for National
Statistics (ONS) report recorded a drop in those saying that voting is the only way to
have a say in politics, from 73% in 1994 to 60% in 2013.47 This has manifested in
more people being likely to sign a petition (37%) in 2011 than they were in 1983
(29%).48 Exploring this further, this report shall now shift its attention to levels of less
formal political participation, where the picture is somewhat more optimistic. The
organisation ‘38 Degrees’ is one example. Currently amassing over 2.5 million
members, it brings people together to implement action on issues that matter to them
and subsequently effect real change.49 It aims to promote peace, preserve the planet
and deepen democracy.50 One of its most successful outcomes was getting the
government to abandon its plans to sell off public forests, soon after a petition it
devised reached half a million people.51
Ethical Consumerism
Another example of informal participation that has shown real growth in recent
years is ethical consumerism. As hinted to in the previous chapter, such action is
inherently political for ethical consumers are sending a wider message about what
kind of economy they want to live in, according to Lamb.52 Jochum et al. found that in
2009, the average spending per household on ethical products and services reached
£764, a threefold increase since 1999.53 However, it does also seem that the high
pricing of some ethical products is still a deterrent for potential customers. It has
been found that people with higher incomes, and so those belonging to the ABC1
social class, account for 67% of total sales.54 Irrespective, the point remains the
47 Chris Randall, Measuring National Wellbeing – Governance, 2014, (Newport, Officefor National Statistics,
2014),p. 7.
48 Randall,National Wellbeing, p. 11; Lee and Young, ‘Politics’,p. 67.
49 38 Degrees, About 38 Degrees, http://www.38degrees.org.uk/pages/about38degrees (accessed 1 May
2014).
50 Ibid.
51 Ibid.
52 Jochum et al., Participation, p. 32.
53 Ibid.,p. 9.
54 Ibid.,p. 31.

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same, which, according to Matt Wood, is that people are increasingly doing politics
‘when they like, where they like and how they like’.55
Key Issues of Concern
Having gone to detail in outlining their attitudes to towards politics, this report
shall now shift its attention to the key issues of concern for Outreach’s target group.
In doing so it will demonstrate that whilst their attitudes towards politics are not
incredibly enthusiastic, they nonetheless do feel strongly about other issues. Such
issues are in fact also political, but it will be up to Outreach to make this explicit.
Immigration, without doubt, has come to be a huge issue of concern for the British
public, with one poll showing it to be neck and neck with the economy, as recently as
March 2014.56 Furthermore, it has been a particularly consistent issue with Britain
being the most concerned country every month since 2009.57
Interestingly, immigration seems to predominantly be a concern of older
people with lower incomes. With that in mind, 46% of those in the C2DE social class
aged over 55 cited it as their main issue of concern.58 On the other hand, the main
issue of concern for 35 to 54 year olds in the ABC1 social class is the economy, at
49%.59 Thus, the economy has also consistently been a major issue of concern, but
those taking this view did drop by 11% between 2012 and 2013.60 It is also worth
pointing out that unemployment is seen as the most important issue facing Britain for
33% of 18 to 34 year olds in the C2DE social class.61 This is important to note as it
constitutes a large portion of the age group that Outreach is concerned with.
55 Matt Wood, ‘How to Solve the Paradoxes of Politics? AResponse to David Blunkett’, (Bernard Crick Centre,
2014) http://www.crickcentre.org/?p=356 (accessed 24 April 2014).
56 Ipsos MORI,‘Economist/Ipsos MORI March 2014 Issues Index’,(Ipsos MORI,2014) http://www.ipsos-
mori.com/researchpublications/researcharchive/3360/EconomistIpsos-MORI-March-2014-Issues-Index.aspx
(accessed 20 April 2014).
57 Ipsos MORI,‘Britain is mostconcerned about immigration control’,(Ipsos MORI,2013) http://www.ipsos-
mori.com/researchpublications/researcharchive/3322/Britain-is-most-concerned-about-immigration-
control.aspx (accessed 20 April 2014).
58 Ipsos MORI,‘March 2014 Issues Index’.
59 Ibid.
60 Ipsos MORI,‘2013 Economist/Ipsos MORI Aggregate Issues Index data’, (Ipsos MORI,2013),
http://www.ipsos-mori.com/researchpublications/researcharchive/3317/2013-EconomistIpsos-MORI-
Aggregate-Issues-Index-data.aspx?view=wide(accessed 19 April 2014).
61 Ipsos MORI,‘March 2014 Issues Index’.

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Societal Participation
However the opinion poll that really got to grips with the general views of the
British public was one asking what factors are important to their identity. To this, a
plurality of 44% responded that leisure activities are the most important, and it is
these which this chapter shall now turn its attention to.62 In outlining their leisure
activities and membership of organisations, this report will be able to see if
Outreach’s target group has the potential for collective action, irrespective of whether
or not it has been put to political use. Research undertaken by the National Council
for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) has been invaluable in this regard. The picture
here is more positive, with their finding that three quarters of adults in Britain are
members of at least one organisation.63 Further to this, they failed to encounter
anyone who had never even once undertaken an act of participation in their
society.64 Illustrating this, the NCVO also found that since the 1960s, at least 2,500
new charities have been registered each year.65
On the other hand, like its political counterpart, societal participation has
shown some decline in recent years. Organisation membership as a whole has fallen
from 58% in 1997 to 53% in 2007.66 That said, membership of sports and
recreational organisations is at 29%, outdoing the international average of 18%.67 As
one would expect, however, certain groups participate more than others. Illustrating
this, the NCVO find that over half of those holding a degree or equivalent had
volunteered at least once in the last year, compared to less than a quarter of those
with no qualification.68 Once again, volunteering is more common among older
people, with nearly one third of 65 to 74 year olds volunteering formally at least once
a month, compared to 23% of 16 to 24 year olds.69 They also observe geographical
62 Ipsos MORI,‘UK becoming ‘more local and global’’,(Ipsos MORI,2014) http://www.ipsos-
mori.com/researchpublications/researcharchive/3365/UK-becoming-more-local-and-global.aspx (accessed 21
April 2014).
64 Ibid.,p. 23.
65 Ibid.,p. 3.
66 Ibid.,p. 6.
67 Ibid.,p. 13.
68 Ibid.,p. 15.
69 Ibid.,p. 17.

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variation, with 70% of those in rural areas participating, compared to 60% of those in
urban areas.70
Civic Core
Overall, these findings culminate in what the NCVO term a ‘civic core’, relying
on 31% of the adult population to provide nearly 90% of volunteer hours and around
70% of civic participation.71 Jochum et al. add that the civic core is more likely to
have higher education qualifications, be middle-aged, be owner-occupiers and live in
the same neighbourhood for at least 10 years.72 It is the task of Outreach, therefore,
to stretch beyond this ‘civic core’. But what about the North East, and Yorkshire and
the Humber, where this particular Outreach office is regionally concerned? What
activities occur in these areas which locals participate in?
Local Activities
This report finds that under the operation of Sheffield City Council, activities
are varied from weekly health walks to ‘Live Life, Love Life’: a programme for women
wanting to be fit but without the intimidation of the gym and fitness clubs.73 There is
an emphasis on sports with Council organised Zumba, table tennis and jogging
among others.74 It adds that the benefits from these activities are not just physical
but social and psychological too, with people gaining better self-esteem as a result.75
Given that these benefits are what attract the participants, Outreach needs to show
that they can be gained from political participation also. A psychological one for
instance, is that people often come to gain confidence through finding their political
voice.
70 Ibid.,p. 20.
71 National Council for Voluntary Organisations, Whatthe research tells us about participation,
http://www.ncvo.org.uk/policy-and-research/particiaption/what-the-research-tells-us (accessed 29 April
2014).
73 Sheffield City Council, Activities for adults, https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/out--
about/leisure/activities/adults.html (accessed 27 April 2014).
74 Ibid.
75 Sheffield City Council, Health benefits of activities and exercise, https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/out--
about/leisure/activities/adults/health-benefits.html (accessed 27 April 2014).

21
Existing activities are not only sporty. On the contrary, Sheffield’s ‘Art in the
Park’ places focus on people’s creative skills.76 It boasts a whole host of free events
and workshops including visual arts and creative writing, with people participating in
poetry, storytelling, and painting, to name a few.77 This report shall also make a
mention of Adult Learner’s Week (ALW). With events usually occurring in May, this
annual dedicated week is a celebration of lifelong learning, which ALW holds leads
to healthier, happier and more confident adults.78 Last year in the North East, this
included the Tyne Metropolitan College Learning Marathon. Consisting of continuous
15 minute micro teaching sessions, feedback for this activity praised it as fun,
unusual and informative.79 This suggests that not only is there a part on citizens to
participate but a willingness to be educated also, something Outreach can definitely
take advantage of.
Media Consumption
Before closing, this report shall say a final word on media consumption habits.
To do so will enable Outreach to have better insight into how it can communicate to
its users, going above and beyond face to face contact. A media consumer survey
conducted by Deloitte found that ownership of media devices is on the up,
particularly tablets.80 In response, at the end of 2012, all UK public service
broadcasters and major newspapers launched tablet optimised versions of their
traditional format.81 In turn, this has catapulted the importance of social media,
especially among younger people. For instance, in terms of what they view as the
most effective means of online advertising, under 24s are ‘social-first’, whereas over
25s are ‘search-first’.82 This has had far-reaching effects on the marketing world, with
Stelzner citing in 2013 that 86% of marketers find social media to be important for
their businesses, a 3% rise from 2012.83 Social media, therefore, is one avenue that
76 Art in the Park, Welcome to Art in the Park, http://www.artinthepark.org.uk/ (accessed 27 April 2014).
77 Ibid.
78 Adult Learner’s Week, Adult Learner’s Week, http://www.alw.org.uk/ (accessed 15 April 2014).
79 Adult Learner’s Week, Highlights, http://www.alw.org.uk/about-alw/highlights (accessed 15 April 2014).
80 Deloitte, Media Consumer Survey 2013:Love in a cold climate, (London, Deloitte, 2013), p. 2, 10, 11.
81 Ibid.,p. 12.
82 Ibid.,p. 7.
83 Michael A. Stelzner, 2013 Social Media Marketing Industry Report: How Marketers Are Using Social Media to
Grow Their Businesses, (Social Media Examiner,2013),p. 5.

22
Outreach needs to seriously explore, in order to better appeal to younger
generations.
Closing Thoughts
To conclude, this chapter has shown that much of the views of the academic
community still hold true today. Levels of formal participation are disappointing but
there may be some hope still in less formal methods. Furthermore, there can be no
doubt that there are some issues which citizens feel very strongly about, but are yet
to express their views using the appropriate political channels. However, this report
has gone further and has found that, politics aside, citizens do participate in their
communities through activities and volunteering. Consequently, this report posits that
they do have the potential for collective action but it is up to Outreach to show them
exactly what this potential can achieve in the political sphere. Exactly how Outreach
can go about doing this shall form the basis of the final chapter of this report, where
one solution among others includes making more use of social media, for this has
become fiercely popular, as shown above.

23
Chapter Three: What Can Outreach Do?
One proposal to combat political disengagement is compulsory voting. Lodge et al.
back compulsory voting for first time voters, because they believe that it would instil
them with a lifelong habit to continue to vote.84 However, other than the fact that
such a measure is undemocratic, this report does not believe in the efficacy of
compulsory voting. For instance, the ESRC cites that 58% of 18 year olds who are
unlikely to vote at the next election believed compulsory voting would make no
difference or even make them less likely to vote.85 As such, this report believes that
where Outreach is concerned, effort should be made to increase political interest
instead. It believes that political interest is far more meaningful because, unlike
electoral participation, it is ongoing. In outlining how Outreach can increase citizen
interest in politics, this chapter shall first lay out the workings of existing initiatives.
The second part of this chapter shall then propose some of its own solutions. The
main point that this report wants to make is that Outreach’s approach should be bold
and innovative, unafraid to take risks and willing to practise trial and error.
Existing Initiatives: Electoral Registration
It is important to primarily note that Outreach is not alone in this battle.
Government itself has acknowledged this crisis of political participation and has
consequently announced that five organisations and every local authority are to
share £4.2 million to get more people engaged and on the electoral register.86 These
organisations include: the Royal Mencap Society, the Hansard Society, UK Youth,
the Scottish Youth Parliament and Gingerbread.87 This comes prior to the switch to
Individual Electoral Registration in June 2014, allowing people to register individually
84 Guy Lodge, Glenn Gottfried and Sarah Birch,‘Ending the vicious cycle:compulsory turn-outfor firsttime
voters’, (Institutefor Public Policy Research,2014) http://www.ippr.org/articles/56/11920/ending-the-vicious-
cycle-compulsory-turn-out-for-first-time-voters (accessed 1 May 2014).
85 Economic and Social Research Council,‘Compulsory votingwon't fix young people's disenchantment with
mainstreampolitics’,(Economic and Social Research Council,2014) http://www.esrc.ac.uk/news-and-
events/press-releases/30692/compulsory-voting-wont-fix-young-peoples-disenchantment-with-mainstream-
politics.aspx(accessed 30 April 2014).
86 Cabinet Office,‘Funding for new ways to encourage voter registration’,(CabinetOffice, 2014)
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/funding-for-new-ways-to-encourage-voter-registration (accessed 29
March 2014).
87 Ibid.

24
and not as households.88 Being on the register is important because, as previously
hinted to, it significantly influences who politicians write their policies for. Party
neutral organisation Bite The Ballot find it to be so empowering that they even
dedicated 5 February 2014 to ‘National Voter Registration Day’, (NVRD) getting as
many people registered as possible.89
Politics and Art
Other initiatives have been less conventional. For instance, Matthew Flinders
has stated his intention to team up the Bernard Crick Centre with Sheffield’s ‘Art in
the Park’ scheme mentioned in the previous section.90 The aim of such an initiative is
to get young people in South Yorkshire exploring social and political issues through
expressive art forms.91 The point being made here is that there are no bounds on
what can be done to increase political interest and participation. It simply depends on
the way that politics is framed to citizens and, thus, there is no reason why it cannot
be presented as an art form. In fact, this report is aware that Outreach has previously
entertained this idea during its ‘Breaking Barriers: Looking at Women’s Suffrage in
Essex’ exhibition programme.92 Using artwork in this way has the advantage of
letting participants reflect and interpret in such a way that is often hard to come by
during a more traditional sit down discussion of politics and current affairs.
Furthermore, the sort of partnership that Flinders suggests goes at the core of what
makes Outreach’s approach to local engagement so effective, according to one
Hansard Society report.93
88 Ibid.
89 Bite The Ballot,National Voter Registration Day 2014,http://bitetheballot.co.uk/nvrd/ (accessed 29 March
2014).
90 Matthew Flinders,‘Politicsto Reconnect Communities’, (Bernard Crick Centre, 2014)
http://www.crickcentre.org/?p=366 (accessed 1 May 2014).
91 Ibid.
92 Parliamentary Outreach, Parliamentary Outreach Annual Review 2009, (London, Parliamentary Outreach,
2009),p. 7.
93 Andy Williamson,MattKorris,Freddy Fallon and Beccy Allen, Connecting Citizens to Parliament, (London,
Hansard Society,2011), p. 56.

25
Recommendations for Outreach: Partnerships
So what can Outreach do? First and foremost, Outreach needs to align itself
with and support the actors and organisations which coordinate these existing
participation initiatives, if it is not doing so already. NVRD this year was successful in
getting 50,000 more people on the electoral register, but the fact remains that far
fewer younger people are registered than older people.94 Thus, the challenge is still
apparent but will be much easier overcome if Outreach teams up with organisations
such as Bite The Ballot, and further publicises the cause. After all, developing strong
sustainable relationships with national organisations is at the heart of how Outreach
has successfully conducted its services in the past.95
Integration with Activities
However, other solutions that this report recommends are less conventional.
Influenced by Flinders’ approach, this report believes Outreach should become more
involved in activities and recreational organisations in operation under Sheffield City
Council. Mentioned in the previous chapter was ‘Walking for All’. Whilst such an
activity is more likely to attract older people, and Outreach’s target is 18 to 40 year
olds, it would nonetheless be foolish to ignore this as an opportunity and a model for
others. Such group walks last between 30 minutes and an hour, with a chat and
refreshments afterwards.96 There is no reason why, facilitated by Outreach, politics,
and more specifically Parliament, cannot be integrated as a subject of discussion in
this process.
Furthermore, in such walks, participants encounter public spaces and areas of
wildlife which may in some instil a sense of care and ownership over the
environment. This presents another opportunity for Outreach to be involved, by
encouraging participants to take up their opinions on the environment and what they
see around them to Parliament. This would include contacting one’s MP but also
submitting evidence to Select Committees, with the latter already being a key part of
94 Bite The Ballot,Why Register to Vote?, http://bitetheballot.co.uk/ (accessed 30 March 2014).
95 Parliamentary Outreach, Annual Review, p. 1.
96 Sheffield City Council, Walking for All, https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/out--
about/leisure/activities/adults/health-walks.html (accessed 30 April 2014).

26
how Outreach operates. The key message here is that there are no strict limits on
what Outreach can do. If it studies these existing activities closely enough this report
is sure that Outreach will be able to tease out some opportunity for it to involve itself.
The important point is that it can justify its involvement and it does this by being able
to spell out the link between that activity participants are doing and its relevance to
politics.
If Outreach can pick out something which citizens care about, it will be that
much easier to get them politically engaged. In highlighting the relevance of
Parliament, the ‘unique selling point’ that Outreach has in this area is quite simply,
that Parliament is relevant. The decision making which governs much of our lives
occurs within it, so it should become rational for citizens to take an interest and
engage. Furthermore, an offshoot of this is that politics is a discussion point which
everyone has some level of latent opinion on (the topic of immigration, for example)
but it is up to Outreach to give them the knowledge to correctly articulate their
opinion. Nevertheless, Outreach needs to strike the correct balance and heed the
warning of defender of politics himself, Bernard Crick, which was that once
everything becomes relevant to politics, politics itself becomes totalitarian.97 At the
same time though, it should listen to the advice of the NCVO which is that in
bolstering participation, most success comes from shaping the individual’s
opportunities, rather than their motivation and resources.98
Political Knowledge
Outreach also needs to seriously consider how it can increase political
knowledge. The most appropriate place to do this is in its tailored information
sessions which it currently delivers. But in terms of the content of such sessions, this
report believes that, prior to discussing the institutions of Parliament, Outreach
should firstly address the more fundamental questions of politics. It should ask its
participants what they expect to get out of political activity, because, according to
Hay et al., it is unrealistic expectations in this area that have partially led to our
97 Bernard Crick, In Defence of Politics, 4th Edition, (Middlesex,Penguin, 1992), p. 151.
98 EllieBrodie,Tim Hughes, Veronique Jochum, Sarah Miller,Nick Ockenden and Diane Warburton, Pathways
through participation: Summary report, (London, National Council for Voluntary Organisations,2011),p. 10.

27
disenchantment.99 It needs to educate its participants that politics entails the
collective imposition of decisions.100 This report also advises that such information
sessions be no longer than 45 minutes, remembering the positive feedback levelled
at the micro teaching sessions during last year’s ALW. If at all possible, such
sessions should try and involve participants to be on their feet, given Stoker’s advice
that ‘doing it is more important than talking about it’.101 The language used should be
simple, as the Hansard Society report recommends, but at the same time
stimulating, so as not to patronise the participants.102
Social Media
Before closing, this chapter shall recommend a final solution that makes use
of social media, for this was shown to be very important in the previous chapter.
Other than publicising itself on Facebook and YouTube more, this report believes
that Outreach should focus efforts on involving itself on local websites such as the
Sheffield Forum, which boasts over 110,000 registered users and over 4.4 million
posts.103 It is a forum allowing locals to discuss local news and sports among other
subjects.104 Outreach could use it as a platform to guide political discussion as well
as making locals aware of upcoming Outreach events. However, this Chapter does
also hold that there is no substitute for face to face contact. It is supported in this
view by a Sheffield based focus group that the Hansard Society approached who
entirely rejected the idea of online communication, arguing that face to face contact
is more personal and thereby effective.105 Furthermore, 18 to 24 year olds, who
Outreach is keen to appeal to, may most frequently access the internet but when
they do participate in political activities, they usually do so offline.106 What Outreach
needs to really take from this report shall form the subject of discussion in the
Conclusion, which follows.
99 Hay et al.,‘RevitalisingPolitics’,p.16.
100 Stoker, Politics Matters, p. 10.
101 Ibid.,p. 197.
102 Williamson et al., Connecting Citizens, p. 46.
103 Mark Flanagan,‘Social Media Makes a Local Impact’in The Quarterly: The Localism Edition, (Portland,
2013).
104 Ibid.
105 Williamson et al., Connecting Citizens, p. 29.
106 Jochum et al.,Participation, p. 34.

28
Conclusion
In conclusion, this report has constructed a particular type of narrative of political
participation to Outreach. This narrative is conventional insofar as its findings
correspond with the views put forth by the academic community. In the main, these
are that levels of formal participation are in decline and have been for some time
now, but that informal participation shows more potential. However, where this
narrative departs from the norm is in its main recommendation to Outreach. This is
that local activities already in existence within communities are an untapped
resource which could be used to enhance political participation. Exactly what
activities Outreach should integrate itself with is a matter that can only be decided
through trial and error. Some may be more facilitating than others. In some cases,
participants of these activities may feel that Outreach is being intrusive and that it is
trying to ‘politicise’ what they do in their everyday lives. If this is the case, then
Outreach must respond accordingly. But whatever it does, it needs to be unafraid to
take risks and try out different ideas that it would never have even considered
previously.
At the same time however, Outreach should continue and develop its existing
practices. A huge part of this is partnerships; working alongside and sharing
resources with other organisations that are also trying to encourage political
participation. It goes without saying that teamwork is a necessity in such a cause as
this. Improved political participation will not just happen overnight and so patience is
also vital, with progress more likely to occur in gradual, cumulative steps. However,
the central theme within this report from start to finish has been encouraging interest
in politics. It has already laid out how Outreach can do this. The main point is to
show citizens that it is rationally in their interest to be engaged in politics and that the
benefits of doing so far outweigh the costs. This report is certain that if Outreach can
master this, then encouraging them to go to the ballot box will be that much easier.

29
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