A comparative study on the levels of political participation: the case of İzmir-Bayburt

Political participation is the actions taken by individuals to determine and influence the political sphere. Political participation occurs at different levels and in different forms. Regardless of the worldview the individual has, he/she takes a stance against politics. He participates in politics for various reasons. Political participation is closely related to many issues, from the level of consciousness of the individual to the management approach of the country. Naturally, different political participation practices occur in societies with different political cultures. In this study, political participation levels are discussed. In this context, the political participation levels of Izmir and Bayburt provinces were compared. Quantitative research method was applied in the study and 807 people were included in the study. A demographic information form and the political participation dimension of the democratic participation scale were used to collect data. The data were analyzed with the SPSS 25.00 package program. When the descriptive results are examined, service and policy following (3.62 = high), political debate (2.78 = medium), total political participation score (2.30 = low), election rallies (1.61 = very low), demonstrations and marches (1.52 = very low) and It was determined that the scores obtained from the sub-dimensions of political participation, such as sharing thoughts and suggestions (1.48 = very low), were not very high, and political participation remained very low in many dimensions. When the political participation levels of the participants living in Izmir and Bayburt were compared, a significant difference was determined in favor of Izmir in all sub-dimensions and total political participation. As a result of the study, it is recommended that future studies investigate more deeply the variables that reduce political participation. It is also considered important to identify factors that increase political participation and develop policies on this issue.