Data from Great Britain and the United States from the late 1950s to the early 1990s show
relatively little change in the frequency with which citizens engage in political discussions, with
whom they are likely to speak, and the variables that shape their propensity to engage in political
talk. In addition, analyses of the data show that discussing politics enhances citizens' knowledge
of public affairs, even net of other variables known to affect political knowledge. Students of
political behaviour and those interested in strengthening democracy need to treat political
discussions as an important form of political participation.