Often, political communications do try to show people both the risks of electing one party and the benefits of electing another, but many people we spoke with do not trust these messages. They believed politicians are just “telling you what you want to hear,” as Alex said above.
The people we spoke with are not unreachable, and they are not unreasonable. Ahmir, an unemployed 52-year-old Black man, explained that he just wants to see some evidence that politicians are actually working to meet his needs:
If the people that you go vote for…go and do what they’re elected to do. And I see some changes in unemployment, homelessness, see some, not drastic changes…but at least [a] start […] maybe I’ll reconsider [voting]. There’s a term, they say ‘practice what you preach.’ That’s what I want to see.
What research shows:
On average, politicians and policy are more responsive to the interests and demands of wealthy people and corporations than those of working-class and low-income people. 4 When laws and policies do direct resources towards low-income and working-class people and communities, the effects can be hard to see. Outside Medicare and Social Security, most redistribution in the U.S. is done through either:
- means-tested programs, which reduce political engagement among recipients because they are so often subject to punitive and demeaning interactions in order to receive benefits; 5
- changes to the tax code, which not everyone knows about – and only those who file appropriately can benefit from – such as the Earned Income Tax Credit;
- grants which pass through many levels of bureaucracy before funds reach their recipients, often entirely stripped of any clear link to the bill which funded them.
All this makes it very difficult for everyday people to trace the relationship between much of what politicians do and how they actually experience their towns and neighborhoods, the economy, or social services.
People who want working-class and low-income people to turn out to vote need to make real connections with the daily issues regular people face. Part of the solution will be proposals that aim to directly benefit those who are struggling with low wages, unemployment, an insufficient social safety net, and the effects of poverty and job loss in their neighborhoods and towns. Another part will be clear, concrete communication about both the content and impact of proposed policies and past political achievements. Policies and communication are only the start, however; for many of our respondents, it will take more to build trust and to convince them that voting is worth their time.
