There are many ways in which Americans can participate in politics-ranging from voting, which a majority do with some regularity, to belonging to a political club or organization, which only a few do. In an elaborate analysis of the ways people participate, Verba and Nie discovered six different kinds of citizens. Parochial participants neither vote nor engage in campaigns or community activity, but they do contact officials about specific, often personal, problems. Communalists engage in community activities of a nonpartisan nature. Voting specialists regularly vote but do little else.
Campaigners vote and also participate in conflictual political activities, such as campaigns.
The absence of citizen involvement in other countries carries a cost in that governments have a freer hand to operate without much public scrutiny. As levels of participation escalate, governments come under greater pressure to exchange responsible behavior for openness. Thus the participative character of Americans has arguably compelled the government to address public concerns despite the weakness of political parties. Discussion Questions 1. We say, rightly, that we have free speech in this country, even though most people have nothing particularly controversial or interesting to say.