Sad Citizen

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A01=Christopher Ojeda
alienation
apathy
Author_Christopher Ojeda
behavior
Category=JM
Category=JP
Civic
Civic engagement
cohesion
Comparative
cynicism
Demobilization
Democracy
Democratic
depression
discourse
Disillusionment
duty
education
efficacy
Emotional
emotions
engagement
eq_bestseller
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_society-politics
fatigue
health
impact
influence
institutions
Interdisciplinary
Malaise
Media
Mental health
motivation
optimism
participation
Polarization
Political
Psychological
psychology
Public opinion
reform
research
resilience
Social science
Societal
stress
trust
turnout
Voter
wellbeing

Product details

  • ISBN 9780226840765
  • Weight: 313g
  • Dimensions: 152 x 229mm
  • Publication Date: 24 Jun 2025
  • Publisher: The University of Chicago Press
  • Publication City/Country: US
  • Product Form: Paperback
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For many citizens, politics is depressing. How has this come to be the norm? And, how is it influencing democracy?

From rising polarization to climate change, today’s politics are leaving many Western democracies in the throes of malaise. While anger, anxiety, and fear are loud emotions that powerfully activate voters, depression is quiet, demobilizing, and less visible as a result. Yet its pervasiveness is cause for concern: after all, democracy should empower citizens.

In The Sad Citizen, Christopher Ojeda draws on wide-ranging data from the United States and beyond to explain how politics is depressing, why this matters, and what we can do about it. Integrating insights from political science, sociology, psychology, and other fields, The Sad Citizen exposes the unhappy underbelly of contemporary politics and offers fresh ideas to strengthen democracy and help citizens cope with the stress of politics.

Christopher Ojeda is assistant professor of political science at the University of California, Merced, and a research affiliate at the University of California’s Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation. His research has been featured by CNN, NPR, PBS, Slate, and Vox.

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