Participation targeting the local community

Urban Farm DB summary

This book chapter examines how participation in local communities varies by generation, finding that local community participation is highest among older generations and lowest among the youngest. Political news exposure has a positive effect on this type of participation, particularly among Baby Boomers, mediated through political interest and efficacy. Citizens engage with their local communities in various ways, including through local organizations such as an urban gardening community or by attending local meetings. Using the authors' Engagement-Participation-Information-Generation (EPIG) model, the chapter tests whether the positive effect of political news exposure on local community political participation is mediated through three dimensions of political engagement — interest, knowledge and efficacy — and concludes that the EPIG model is useful for understanding local political participation.