Political Involvement: A Case Study of Urban Party Activists

Abstract

<p>Political involvement is the process of becoming active in the particular political system. One of the most important areas of involvement is the political party. Differences exist among the major Canadian parties that allow them to be placed on a left-right continuum.</p> <p>In this study, the focus is resiricted to activity in local party structures. Four variables of the party involvement process -- political socialization, recruitment, motivation and socio-economic background -- are examined here to see if there are significant differences among the three major political parties in Canada and the personnel that makes up the local executives of their organizations. An analysis of these differences is undertaken to see if they can be explained by the ideological divisions that separate the party associations.</p>