The Persistence of Vision: Interest of Israeli Youth in Social and Political Issues

Abstract

Citizen involvement in political and social processes, such as health, education, welfare, or even foreign policy, is crucial for the proper functioning of democratic society. Without citizen involvement, the whole idea of participatory democracy is drained of any content. The most basic type of any social-political involvement is interest in social and political issues. While political interest is not the only standard by which we may measure citizenry, it is a necessary, if not sufficient, pre-condition for an effective democracy. Van Deth (1990) stated that the crucial role of the concept “interest in politics” is in schemes that link social and/or psychological factors to political attitudes and behavior.