"Political participation and democracy in Britain is based on the findings of a sample survey of nearly 1,600 people across England, Scotland and Wales as well as a further 1,600 men and women and nearly 300 leaders in six specially selected and contrasting local communities. These people were asked about the extent to which they had taken action such as writing to their Member of Parliament, working in a group to raise a local problem, going on a protest march or canvassing for a political party. They were also asked about their experiences in taking action and the impressions they had formed of political institutions and processes." "By focusing on the more regular day-to-day patterns of citizen political activity, the authors found wider levels of participation than previous research has revealed. They analyse these findings in terms of age, gender, social class and education and look at the reactions of local leaders to the efforts people make to influence them. The authors also draw comparisons with political participation in other countries and, in their concluding section, highlight trends in citizen activity which might lead to new patterns of political life in late twentieth century Britain and beyond. Book jacket."--BOOK JACKET.