The Consistency of Individual Political Participation Across Governmental Levels in Canada

Canadians who participate in the politics of one level of government (federal, provincial, or local) perform the same types of acts at the other levels as well. The results of a study of data collected in the 1974 federal election study support the theory that acts of political participation fall into distinct clusters or modes. The great variations in political factors across the levels of government in Canada make this a strong test, as the highly decentralized nature of the system might suggest instead a concentration of activity by level. The conclusions hold after allowance for the effects of party mobilization, and they hold for French Quebeckers.