The attitudes of ordinary citizens towards the political realm are not only diverse and different, but they also beget political inequalities. First of all, there are different levels of involvement in politics. The higher their level of education and position in social space, the more likely "ordinary" citizens are to vote or participate in opinion polls, street protests, political parties, informal daily discussions on political issues in primary groups or in the activities of “participatory democracy” institutions. Members of the lower classes are not only more likely to stay away from all activities open to lay people (as opposed to specialized political actors), but they are also less equipped when, for various reasons to be discussed, they overcome their dispositions to stay away. For example, they are less able to identify and defend political interests when voting or when responding to opinion polls.
The presentation is based on various qualitative surveys, mainly in-depth semi-structured interviews, conducted over many years.
Daniel Gaxie is Professor emeritus at the Paris 1 University (Panthéon-Sorbonne) and the
European Center for Sociology and Political Science
The event will be live on Zoom. Please use this link.