Abstract
This paper examines the structure of political alienation among Japanese eligible voters, using data from the first, second, fifth, and sixth waves of the seven‐wave Japanese Electoral Survey II (JES II). Political alienation can be expressed as comprising two dimensions, political trust and civic‐mindedness. Males and people with more years of schooling are more allegiant in general; that is, they are both more trusting and more civic‐minded. Evaluations of cabinet performance and support for democratic mechanisms are strongly related to political trust and civic‐mindedness. Supporters of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) are no more civic‐minded than average but are more trusting politically, whereas Japan Communist Party supporters are more civic‐minded but a good deal less politically trusting than average. Independents are below the overall average on both the political trust and civic‐mindedness dimensions. Even though party support is unstable, Japan's political system will not lose its stability as long as LDP supporters and independents constitute the majority of Japan's electorate. The advent of a new party capable of providing an alternative to the LDP is important to the future of Japanese democracy.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.