Political Dissengagement and Political Hypocrisy: A Hidden Connection

Abstract

Best Paper in Track Political Marketing, Academy of Marketing Conference 2015, The Magic in Marketing, University of Limerick, Ireland. In recent elections, modern democracies have witnessed the growing phenomenon of political disengagement, which has produced as a direct consequence the decline or the inconstancy of voting turnout (Dermody and Scullion 2005; Teixeira 1992). This phenomenon is a real threat to the foundations of democratic systems, since the vote is the ultimate expression of legitimacy of candidates and parties, which should in fact be elected by the entire electorate and representing the same. Political engagement is one of the components that most involve the participation of citizens in public life, which also comprises trust in public institutions and politics, the interest in politics, and the active civic participation.