Evidence of youth depoliticising
In this post, we'll look at evidence of youth depoliticising across cultures.
The vast majority of reading on youth participation in politics shows that there has been a steady decline in youth participation and interest in politics worldwide. A Hartmann and Trnka report in Democratic Youth Participation in Society (1985) shows that many young people in Germany, Hungary, and Portugal claim to have no interest in politics or show a pronounced distrust in the activities of politicians.
Youth sections of political parties in Belgium have lost nearly two-thirds of their membership since the 1980s. Swedish youth organizations have a quarter the membership they did in 1972.
A BBC report shows that in the UK, only 39 percent of eligible voters under 24 actually vote. In an attempt to encourage voter participation, it was suggested that allowing young people to vote through text messages could make elections more accessible, but the youth surveyed were not convinced that it would be worth the 10p it would cost to vote.
The World Values Survey shows that, taken as an average across all European cultures, only one-third of young people are interested in politics, and three-quarters said they did not think politics was important for their lives. Only a minority of young people actually engaged in politics - 28 percent had signed a petition, 22 percent had attended a demonstration, and nine percent had joined boycotts. Only six percent belonged either to a political party, a trade union, an environmental organization, or a professional association.
But it is not just in Europe that this phenomenon exists. Young people in Sierra Leone, where elders often use the term ‘youth’ with disdain, participate in politics significantly less than their elders.
In addition, only 22 percent of 18-20 year-old Canadians voted in their country’s 2000 election.
A 1996 survey showed that 60 percent of young Filipinos were ‘not interested in politics,’ and only 14 percent had ever participated in government-sponsored youth programs.
Even the aforementioned World Bank document, which highlights the increasing numbers of youth politicization in certain areas of the world, admits that, ‘overall, young people are voting at lower rates than they did in previous generations.’
There is little doubt as to what is happening. Plenty more evidence exists to this effect, and we will get more in to detail as the year goes on. We will also look at the very important question of how to deal with this unfortunate phenomenon.
The vast majority of reading on youth participation in politics shows that there has been a steady decline in youth participation and interest in politics worldwide. A Hartmann and Trnka report in Democratic Youth Participation in Society (1985) shows that many young people in Germany, Hungary, and Portugal claim to have no interest in politics or show a pronounced distrust in the activities of politicians.
Youth sections of political parties in Belgium have lost nearly two-thirds of their membership since the 1980s. Swedish youth organizations have a quarter the membership they did in 1972.
A BBC report shows that in the UK, only 39 percent of eligible voters under 24 actually vote. In an attempt to encourage voter participation, it was suggested that allowing young people to vote through text messages could make elections more accessible, but the youth surveyed were not convinced that it would be worth the 10p it would cost to vote.
The World Values Survey shows that, taken as an average across all European cultures, only one-third of young people are interested in politics, and three-quarters said they did not think politics was important for their lives. Only a minority of young people actually engaged in politics - 28 percent had signed a petition, 22 percent had attended a demonstration, and nine percent had joined boycotts. Only six percent belonged either to a political party, a trade union, an environmental organization, or a professional association.
But it is not just in Europe that this phenomenon exists. Young people in Sierra Leone, where elders often use the term ‘youth’ with disdain, participate in politics significantly less than their elders.
In addition, only 22 percent of 18-20 year-old Canadians voted in their country’s 2000 election.
A 1996 survey showed that 60 percent of young Filipinos were ‘not interested in politics,’ and only 14 percent had ever participated in government-sponsored youth programs.
Even the aforementioned World Bank document, which highlights the increasing numbers of youth politicization in certain areas of the world, admits that, ‘overall, young people are voting at lower rates than they did in previous generations.’
There is little doubt as to what is happening. Plenty more evidence exists to this effect, and we will get more in to detail as the year goes on. We will also look at the very important question of how to deal with this unfortunate phenomenon.
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