Only 35% of the people vote regularly (Pew Research Center). Surveys show sharp declines in many measures of collective political participation, including attending a rally or speech (off 36 percent between 1973 and 1993), attending a meeting on town or school affairs (off 39 percent), or working for a political party (off 56 percent) (Robert Putnam, The Strange Disappearance of Civic America, 1995)