Assessing the relationship between community education, political efficacy and electoral participation - a case study of the asylum seeking community in Cork

This paper assesses the relationship between community education and internal political efficacy. In particular it examines the association between voter/civic programmes run in advance of the 2009 local elections in Ireland and internal political efficacy amongst the asylum seeking community in Cork. A survey is used to test this relationship. The paper outlines the methodological issues faced in conducting research within this community and presents the results of the sample groups’ involvement in community education, levels of political efficacy and participation in the 2009 local elections.