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Political efficacy: A comparative study of the United States, West Germany, Great Britain and Australia
Author(s) -
HAYES BERNADETTE C.,
BEAN CLIVE S.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
european journal of political research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.267
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1475-6765
pISSN - 0304-4130
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-6765.1993.tb00359.x
Subject(s) - politics , political efficacy , democracy , political science , corporate governance , democratic governance , sociology , law , economics , management
. Although political efficacy is a key concept in theories of political participation and democratic governance, different studies have conceptualised and operationalised efficacy in different ways. Using comparable survey data from the United States, West Germany, Great Britain and Australia, this study builds upon previous research in an attempt to clarify our understanding of the dimensions of political efficacy and their relationship to socio‐demographic factors. The results suggest that ‘internal efficacy’ and ‘external efficacy’ are distinct attitudinal dimensions which are comparable in all four nations, and that each is related to certain socio‐demographic characteristics.