Reinventing conventional participation: A model to mitigate political disaffection in Lambayeque, Peru

Background In a district of the Lambayeque province, considerable levels of political disaffection are evident, manifesting not only in the alienation from power but also in a significant gap between citizens and government institutions. Although efforts have been made to continue the participatory trend in democratic institutions, innovative proposals for social intervention in political processes and decision-making are still needed. The study aimed to propose a model of conventional participation to mitigate political disaffection in Lambayeque, Peru. Methods The research was quantitative, with a non-experimental, descriptive-propositional design. It employed a survey technique applied to a randomly selected sample of 506 citizens from a total universe of 19,342 voters. Results The results indicate that the implementation of a conventional participatory practice, tailored to the sociocultural peculiarities of the district, positively impacts the political perception of the population. The findings reveal that a large portion of the Lambayeque population has disconnected from politics in everyday life, registering a general malaise that may reflect in future elections, as interest that does not translate into action is meaningless. Conclusions General distrust in institutions, particularly the sentiment of corruption, has fostered this detachment; moreover, the results reflect a rejection of the political system. Despite many being informed about politics, the feeling of participation remains impotent.