Overview

There has been a growing chorus of political analysts with doomsday predictions of an American public that is uncivil, disengaged, and alienated. And it′s only getting worse with a younger generation of Americans who do not see the value in voting. The good news is that the bad news is wrong. In this Third Edition of The Good Citizen, Russell Dalton uses current national public opinion surveys, including new evidence from 2018 Pew Center survey data, to show how Americans are changing their views on what good citizenship means. It′s not about recreating the halcyon politics of a generation ago, but recognition that new patterns of citizenship call for new processes and new institutions that reflect the values of the contemporary American public. Trends in participation, tolerance, and policy priorities reflect a younger generation that is more engaged, more tolerant, and more supportive of social justice. The Good Citizen shows how a younger generation is creating new norms of citizenship that are leading to a renaissance of democratic participation. An important comparative chapter in the book showcases cross-national comparisons that further demonstrate the vitality of American democracy. 

Full Product Details

Author:   Russell J. Dalton
Publisher:   SAGE Publications Inc
Imprint:   CQ Press
Edition:   3rd Revised edition
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 1.00cm , Length: 22.80cm
Weight:   0.340kg
ISBN:  

9781544395852

ISBN 10:   154439585
Pages:   224
Publication Date:   25 July 2025
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
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Table of Contents

Tables and Figures Preface to the Third Edition Acknowledgments About the Author Chapter 1 Citizenship and the Transformation of American Society The Social Transformation of America The Evolution of Citizenship Norms The Plot of This Book Conclusion PART I DEFINING THE NORMS OF CITIZENSHIP Chapter 2 The Meaning and Measurement of Citizenship Citizenship in Theory What Is a “Good” Citizen? The Two Faces of Citizenship The Distribution of Citizenship Norms What Kind of Citizenship? Appendix Chapter 3 Forming Citizenship Norms A Generational Gap? The Rising Tide of Social Status Gender and Ethnicity Patterns Citizenship and Religion Partisan Differences in Citizenship Bringing the Pieces Together The Social Roots of Citizenship PART II THE CONSEQUENCES OF CITIZENSHIP Chapter 4 The Rising Tide of Political Activity The Forms of Political Action Voting and Elections Non-electoral Activity Old Repertoires and New Repertoires Citizenship Norms and Participation Engaged Democrats Chapter 5 (In)Tolerance in America? How to Measure Political Tolerance The Unconventional Evidence: Rising Political Tolerance Who Is Tolerant, and Who Isn’t Citizenship and Tolerance Citizenship and Tolerance: A Second Look Tolerance in America Chapter 6 Is Government the Problem or the Solution? Linking Citizenship Norms to Policy Priorities We Want Government to Be a Big Spender Our Spending Priorities Combining Predictors Public Policy Preferences Citizenship Norms and Voting Choice Citizenship and Public Policy Chapter 7 The Good Citizen and Democratic Governance Changing Images of Government Trusting Political Authorities Citizenship Norms and Trust in Authorities Trusting Political Institutions Democratic Principles Feelings of National Pride Citizenship, Trust, and Democracy “America, Right or Wrong” Chapter 8 In Tocqueville’s Footsteps The Norms of Citizenship The Consequences of Citizenship Participation since Tocqueville Tolerance Democratic Norms Dear Chicken Little: The Sky Is Not Falling PART III CONCLUSION Chapter 9 The Two Faces of Citizenship Balancing the American Political Culture A Culture Tug-of-War Understanding Millennials Tocqueville Revisited Norm Shift and American Democracy Appendix: Statistical Primer Endnotes Index

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Author Information

Russell Dalton is a professor at the University of California, Irvine and former director of the Center for the Study of Democracy. His research and teaching focuses on the changing nature of citizen politics in contemporary democracies. He has received a Fulbright Research Fellowship, a German Marshall Fund Fellowship, Barbra Streisand Center Fellowship and POSCO Research Fellowship. He has served on the boards of the American National Election Study, the British Election Study and the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems. Among his recent authored or edited books are The Apartisan American (2012), Political Parties and Democratic Linkage (2011), Citizens, Context and Choice (2011), The Good Citizen (2009), Oxford Handbook of Political Behavior (2007), Citizens, Democracy and Markets around the Pacific Rim (2006), Democratic Challenges, Democratic Choices: The Erosion of Political Support in Advanced Industrial Democracies (2004), Democracy Transformed? The Expansion of Citizen Access in Advanced Industrial Democracies (2003), and Parties without Partisans: Political Change in Advanced Industrial Democracies (co-editor, 2001). He has also appeared in six feature-length Hollywood movies.

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