Overcoming apathy
Another problem is that many members of the public are unwilling to engage in the ways
and to the degree that governments wish. Research suggests, for example, that only one in
five citizens in the UK wants to engage more closely with their local authority (Box 15.1).
By definition the minority who do get involved are therefore unlikely to be unrepresentative
of the community as a whole, particularly because the most vulnerable groups,
those on lower incomes, young people, older people, members of households with a
disabled person and members of ethnic minority communities, are usually the least inclined
to be involved. Moreover, most people express a strong preference for relatively passive
forms of engagement. In a recent survey in the UK the public strongly favoured one-off
consultations via postal surveys and face-to-face interviews. Very few were prepared to
participate in in-depth consultations – only 13 per cent said they would be willing to go
to public meetings, just 6 per cent said they would participate in a citizens’