Development of Educational Inequalities in Political Participation in Czech Republic and Slovakia and their Implications for Representation of Attitudes. Cover Image

Vývoj vzdělanostních nerovností v účasti na politice v Česku a na Slovensku a jejich důsledky pro reprezentaci postojů
Development of Educational Inequalities in Political Participation in Czech Republic and Slovakia and their Implications for Representation of Attitudes.

Author(s): Lukáš Linek, Ivan Petrúšek
Subject(s): Social Sciences
Published by: Sociologický ústav - Slovenská akadémia vied
Keywords: Participation inequality; turnout; non-electoral participation; educational inequality; attitude representation

Summary/Abstract: Development of Educational Inequalities in Political Participation in Czech Republic and Slovakia and their Implications for Representation of Attitudes. Citizen participation in the political process is a key tenet of democratic government. Using data from post-election surveys covering all post-communist elections and European Social Survey 2002-2014, this paper studies how political participation in the Czech Republic and Slovakia has been stratified based on educational attainment. Educational inequalities in turnout increased substantively in both countries and are currently much more pronounced than in established western democracies. Educational inequalities in non-electoral participation are greater than inequalities in turnout. University graduates participate significantly more often than people of lower educational attainment. In combination with significant differences in attitudes towards income redistribution, gender equality and immigration, unequal participation constitutes conditions for unequal political voice. Nevertheless, this paper shows that educational inequalities in political participation and differences in attitudes do not automatically translate into equally strong distortions in attitude representation.Sociológia 2018, Vol. 50 (No. 5: 524-549)

  • Issue Year: 50/2018
  • Issue No: 5
  • Page Range: 524-549
  • Page Count: 26
  • Language: Czech