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Political Knowledge and Electoral Participation in the Netherlands: Comparisons with the Canadian Case

Department of Political Science, University of New Brunswick, PO Box 4400, Fredericton NB, E3B 5A3, Canada phowe{at}unb.ca

Recent research suggests a significant connection between declining voter turnout among younger Canadian cohorts and diminished levels of political knowledge. This article seeks to develop these findings further by drawing contrasts with a country (the Netherlands) that has not witnessed a significant turnout decline among the young to see whether political knowledge levels have likewise remained stable. The results partly confound expectations: as in Canada, a growing knowledge gap between young and old is evident in the Netherlands. Voting among young Dutch cohorts has not been markedly affected, however, because knowledge has less impact on electoral participation than in Canada. Hypotheses that help explain these patterns, and which might be tested in further comparative research, are advanced.

Key Words: Canada • The Netherlands • Political knowledge • Political participation

International Political Science Review, Vol. 27, No. 2, 137-166 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0192512106061424


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