I think that most people that recycle understand the motivation generally, but it goes beyond simply 'being a part of something bigger'. Actions or the lack of action resonates. When you vote, people around you know one more person that votes, so you normalize the behavior. When you vote, you are more likely to follow the outcome of the vote, and the actions of the candidates that win. When you vote, you will see what local ballot initiatives are shaping your community. When you vote, you need to settle in your own mind issues on State referendums. When you vote, you view the world in a way that is different than if you didn't. Voting is essential to a democratic way of life.
Recycling is a good example. This is my practice: • With aluminum, I am almost religious about recycling. Trashing a soda can makes me feel guilty. I understand that refining aluminum is very energy-intensive, and recycling aluminum is very efficient. • With plastic, I am less conscientious, but I will throw a soda bottle in the green bin rather than a trash can if it is convenient. I am not sure if the energy used to recycle plastic is greater than the energy used to landfill it and make new bottles. • With paper, I resist recycling. I will walk past a recycling bin to put a newspaper in a trash can. Growing trees specifically to bury them may not be a practical approach to carbon sequestration, but as long as people are already shredding trees and delivering the pulp to my doorstep, and there is already a giant, hermetically-sealed hole in the ground somewhere, and handlers and trucks carrying my banana peels to that hole, it seems better to add my newspaper to that long-term storage rather than consume more energy to reduce demand for trees which suck carbon out of the atmosphere. I may well be mistaken about the beneficial effects of my habits, and would like to understand these complex systems better. But I can be fairly certain that every ounce of aluminum that I recycle gets recycled. The effect of my actions is directly proportional to my effort. The incentives aren't worked out perfectly, so it's sort of a positive externality in that I merely get a good feeling for "being part of something bigger" or "doing the right thing" while the recycler actually gets to profit from my Coke cans. But it's enough for me to know that my small actions make a small difference. If the recycle bin were actually dumped into the landfill with mathematical near-certainty and in every observed instance I would feel I am fooling myself to get any satisfaction from recycling. It seems to me that all of the benefits you mention could be had without taking the trouble to vote (and are far from guaranteed when people do vote), or else depend on a vote "counting" by possibly altering an election outcome.
That's very interesting. I'd love to see an analysis. Perhaps that's true, but I think generally speaking, those benefits are realized. At least, that's my experience in my social circles. Most of my friends and colleagues that are US citizens vote, and there clearly is a culture that comes with it.Growing trees specifically to bury them may not be a practical approach to carbon sequestration, but as long as people are already shredding trees and delivering the pulp to my doorstep, and there is already a giant, hermetically-sealed hole in the ground somewhere, and handlers and trucks carrying my banana peels to that hole, it seems better to add my newspaper to that long-term storage rather than consume more energy to reduce demand for trees which suck carbon out of the atmosphere.
It seems to me that all of the benefits you mention could be had without taking the trouble to vote (and are far from guaranteed when people do vote), or else depend on a vote "counting" by possibly altering an election outcome.