There are several explanations for why people participate in politics, especially by voting. The standard socioeconomic model of participation suggest that people with more education, more income, and professional or white-collar jobs are more likely to participate in politics. Education is the strongest single predictor of participation. Despite improvements in education and income, voting turnout in the United States has declined over time. This is in part the result of the increased pool of eligible voters since the voting age was lowered from twenty-one to eighteen in 1971.
Young people are less likely to vote.
Psychological studies have found that there is a decreasing belief in the efficacy of voting. Restrictive laws and the burden of individual registration discourage voting in the United States. In addition, political parties fail to mobilize voters because of weak group-party linkages. Inadequate information about a large number of candidates and offices also discourages voting. From a normative perspective, it is clear that individuals should be free to participate in politics as they wish.