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The Sad Citizen

How Politics Is Depressing and Why It Matters
By Christopher Ojeda
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Brief Description
For many citizens, politics is depressing. How has this come to be the norm? And, how is it influencing democracy? From rising polarisation to climate change, today's politics are leaving many Western democracies in the throes of malaise. While anger, anxiety, and fear are loud emotions... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
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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 polarisation 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, demobilising, 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.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780226840765

Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 24 June 2025

Country: United States

Imprint: University of Chicago Press

Illustration: 15 halftones, 2 line drawings, 33 tables

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 20.0mm

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 229.0mm

Weight: 313g

Pages: 240

Collections

Christopher Ojeda Education & Reference Non-Fiction Politics & Current Affairs

About the Author

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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