The Futility of Participation: Austerity and Public Reluctance to Oppose it

“It doesn’t matter whether you have a rally or whatever, whatever that is, it doesn’t matter, you can write things and send it to them, but it doesn’t matter to us because they’ve already made their minds up.” According to the theory of policy feedback, policies shape the goals and capabilities of groups affected by those policies and, thereby, their levels of political participation. Based on a case study of England, bringing together the theory of policy feedback with the broader literature on declining participation, this paper argues that the serious, negative consequences of austerity have discouraged political participation in many of its forms, because affected citizens believe that political participation will not achieve anything. Based on interviews with members of the public across England, many people feel that participating is not worthwhile because the government will not listen. This paper argues that this belief stems at least partially from the coalition and Conservative governments’ narrative choices since 2010, in which they argued that austerity is the only viable option for economic recovery following the financial crisis. As a result, individuals feel they lack influence, which further undermines their motivation to participate. It is fundamental to understand why citizens facing rising poverty, health problems and food bank usage are reluctant or unable to engage in politics. A lack of political voice may exacerbate the issues faced by vulnerable people living under austerity, meaning this research makes an important contribution to understanding the consequences of austerity, both in the UK and beyond.