In a such controversial, bi-partisan era in U.S. history, people want to make a difference but aren't doing anything to truly make a difference. They believe their retweets on Twitter and insulting the current people in office over Saturday morning coffee is them being politically involved. Many of us have low political efficacy, yet don't know it.
1. You don't vote
GiphyTurning eighteen seems more hyped up than it is in actuality. You can do things without parental permission (I.e. tattoos, getting married), and some things that come without much choice (I.e. jury duty, selective service for males), but one thing that stands out the most is being able to vote. This is arguably the easiest way to participate in government. Elections aren't something that will consume your life all the time, minimal research ahead of time will be sufficient. Having the mindset of, "My vote won't change anything" screams that you have a lack of political efficacy (believing that you can't influence the government).
2. You listen to respond, you don't listen to listen
GiphyAs apparent in many political interviews, people love to argue to win. The point of having a discussion is to see opposing views and possibly compromise or see things from a new perspective, not to try and have the best argument. Being able to maintain a civil conversation is a virtue, especially in politics. Therefore, political efficacy may be love if you are not able to understand different viewpoints.
3. You only pay attention to the federal government
GiphyMany times as citizens we think about the big picture: The Federal Government. Realistically, the closest we are to government is with our local government. School levies, road repairs, and various business going up affect our daily lives almost every day. In contrast, what Congress is debating over today (and probably tomorrow, and the day after, etc) isn't going to make a difference in your neighborhood as quickly as much as local affairs would. A great way to get involved would be to attend city council meetings. Meetings are usually held once or twice a month, are not more than an hour or two, and are close to you (obviously, because they are in your city). This makes them not time-consuming but allows you to stay up to date and ask the mayor and council questions as needed. Understanding only federal, but not communal affairs is a sign of low political efficacy.
4. You don't know who your local representatives are
GiphyOnce again, many of us focus on actions of the federal government, which is composed of senators and representatives from across the United States, yet many of us don't know who is representing them in the federal government. It's hard to trust the government (a component of political efficacy) if you don't know what it's composed of, especially who is supposed to be representing you.
5. You only watch the extremes...CNN, Fox, etc.
GiphyMany times we don't want our beliefs to be challenged, we just want them to be assured. This explains why people watch news channels which correspond more closely with their ideology (I.e. Republicans watching Fox and Democrats watching CNN). Though in this habit, perceptions of what actually happened can be distorted or portrayed to favor one side. Some non-bias channels (to an extent) include NPR, BBC, and The Washington Post. Only being able to trust one mainstream media which you listen/watch all the time can show little political efficacy due to only trusting some news sources on the basis that you agree with them.
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