Blog 1 Young People and Political Engagement 

Has the lack of political engagement among young people created a misrepresentation of the general public?

Young people’s relationship with politics is complex and problematic. But why is this?

There is a concept that comes into play when looking at young people’s attitudes towards politics which follows the narrative that young people are politically disengaged. The percentage of youth who vote in elections has been in steady decline since the 1970’s (International IDEA, 2004; Macedo, 2005; Putnam, 2000). Political participation is crucial for building a stable and peaceful society and help develop policies that aid to the specific needs of the younger generation. It is important for young people to vote because it gives them the power to directly influence policies, express their opinions values and concerns. Youth disengagement comes down to two factors: The general lack of interest in traditional political activities such as voting and the notion that youth have embraced new forms of politics such as individualized activism. Young individuals who have felt very disconnected from politics due to its traditional ways have taken their futures into their own hands by participating in ‘non-conventional’ political actions. There are many factors which have lead to the decline in engagement from young people when looking into politics this could be caused by the distrust in the government, lack of knowledge and lack of interest. This raises the question, can anything be done to break this cycle?

As the younger generation become more eligible to vote, they continue to choose not to vote despite the impact they may have on society. Within the UK there is a significant voting gap between 18-14 and those aged 70+. In the 2019 general election, 67% of voters nationally who were aged over 70-years old voted Conservative, whereas 56% of 18-24 year olds voted Labour. It is clear to identify that the older generation value traditional conservative policies benefit and cater to the needs of the older generation. There is a clear generational difference as these different groups may priorities different issues which are more important to them. One of the policies conservative offer is lower taxation on higher earners, here we see a divide in both social class and age.

Figure 1 – Graph

The graph above shows the 2019 general election voting for the selected parties labour and conservative by age. The figure clearly illustrates the number of labour voters decrease as the voters increase in age whereas the conservative voters have increased due to the increase in age. Here we see that there has been a clear divide between both the younger generation 18-30 years of age and the older generation aged 40-70+ years. The younger people often vote for Labour Party for several reasons: the progressive values of women’s right’s, LGBTQ+ rights and racial equality, generational solidarity which support issues of job opportunities, housing etc and youth engagement that allow campaigns and digital platforms to take place. However, older people vote for conservative parties because it looks out for their traditional values and needs and it addresses economic concerns to help protect their savings and investments, national security of border control.

It’s no secret that the youth feel alienated by politicians this is mainly due to lack of representation of their interest, having to witness policies that do not address their concerns and feeling marginalized as a result this causes them to feel disconnected from traditional political procedures.

Whilst the older generation rely on a variety of traditional sources for political information such as newspapers, television and books, the youth get their political information and views from a mix of both a mix of digital and traditional sources for political information examples of this is websites, social media, podcasts, educational institutions and peer influence. It is evident that both age groups represent different political ideologies based on the conventional and unconventional sources.

How have the youth got involved with politics in 2024?

Although youth do not take part in traditional political procedure due to the notion that they feel disconnected, protesting for them is considered a public expression of objection through creative and artistic expressions, many of the protests have changed the course of history. Young people today are more politically involved in issues that focuses on issues directly impacting their lives such as Black Lives Matter, LGBT rights, the climate crisis and most recently the free Palestine Movement, social justice, education reform and economic inequality. These movements aim to capture the attention of a wider audience and enforces change to take place. This is because young people have an extremely strong sense of idealism and desire to create a better world.

In the image above we see the high level of participation which includes a large number of youth, there is a sense of passion, empowerment illustrated in this image which allows citizens to exercise their rights to free speech.

Although young people do not engage in voting they play a crucial role through several impactful ways to participate in politics. It is clear that youth are interested in political action. In a survey conducted it was found that ‘55% of young people (ages 18-29) say the country is going in the wrong direction and only 16% believe it’s on the right track’. Yes, this is a huge factor that plays a strong influence in politics because there is a high level of distrust and disappointment for the younger generation.

 

So what changes can be made to change the notion that young people are politically disengaged and do not have a place in politics? This can be done by encouraging schools to provide students with the truth that young people are overlooked because of the lack of participation. Students should understand the importance of engaging in all forms of politics so young voices are heard through voting and schools should addressing underrepresentation. This will essentially empower young people and encourage them to recognise the importance of creating an inclusive political environment within our society. Please feel free to place your thought in the comments as we are a collective here to make a change.

 

References

Amiwala, B. (2020). Engaging Young People in Politics. PBS Education. Available at: Engaging Young People in Politics | PBS Education

Barrett, M. Pachi, D. (2019). Civil and Political Engagement in Young People. The British Psychological Society. Available at: Civic and political engagement in young people | BPS

International IDEA (Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance) (2004). Voter turnout in Western Europe since 1945: A regional report. Stockholm: International IDEA.

Massari, P. (2024). Colloquy Podcast: How Universities can address the Crisis in Democracy. Harvard.edu. Available at: Colloquy Podcast: How Universities Can Address the Crisis in Democracy | Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (harvard.edu)

Sargent, R. (2019). Why Young People are Disengaging from Politics – and How to Fix it. Available at: Why young people are disengaging from politics – and how to fix it – Radix Think Tank (radixuk.org)

Zhang, W. (2022). Political Disengagement Among Youth: A Comparison Between 2011 and 2020. National Library of Medicine. Available at: Political Disengagement Among Youth: A Comparison Between 2011 and 2020 – PMC (nih.gov)

Available at: Age – Factors influencing voting behaviour – Higher Modern Studies Revision – BBC Bitesize