Are Young People Really Apathetic?……

Young people aged 18-24 are not apathetic, they just are not party political.

According to Norris (2004: 2) ‘young people are believed to be particularly disillusioned about the major institutions of representative democracy, leaving them either apathetic (at best) or alienated (at worst)’. Disillusionment is arguably a significant factor in voting behaviour for the young. In the 2019 United Kingdom General Election, the voter turnout for 18-24 year olds was ‘47%’ (Mortimer, et al., 2020). This means that out of all of the 18-24 years olds registered to vote in the UK, less than half voted in that election. This is alarming given that the decisions made by politicians today will have the biggest impact on that age group. The voter turnout percentages for the 2019 election show that the younger you are the less likely you are to vote. Voters aged 65+ had the highest turnout rate at ‘74%’ (Mortimer, et al., 2019) and ‘64%’ of those voters voted for the Conservative Party. The voting trend in 2019 is proportional to the membership shares shown in Figure 1 below.

Figure 1. Membership of political parties in the United Kingdom in 2019, by age group

(Clark, 2019)

Figure 1 is a bar chart illustrating the membership of major political parties by age in the election year 2019. The chart shows that the younger the person is the less likely they are to be a member of a political party. The Liberal Democrats and the Green Party have the highest membership percentage amongst the 18-24 year olds which is representative of their shared interests such as: Votes for 16-17 year olds and the environment. Labour is often marketed as the party of young people, however, they have 1% less young people in their membership than the Conservatives and 2% less than the Liberal Democrats and Green Party. ‘62%’ (Mortimer, et al., 2019) of 18-24 year old votes were for the Labour Party in 2019, which means only 29% of those that voted in that age group voted for Labour. Also, the chart does not include political parties that are considered minor. There is a clear correlation between voter turnout, political party membership and political majorities certain political parties are more likely to win as their voters are older and therefore more likely to come out and vote on election days which results in a majority parliament that will represent and implement policies in the best interests of their voters which sometimes puts them in opposition with the youngest in society. In order to have our voices heard and effect real change, we need young people to be active citizens by voting for the political parties they feel represent their interests because that is how you get your voice heard.

 

What is Active Citizenship?

Young people have been active citizens fighting for the rights of those in vulnerable positions within society. Young people are more likely to participate in alternative forms of politics including: e-petitions, social media campaigns or protests. For example, participating in protests in person or online for the Black Lives Matter Movement in 2020. These are forms of active citizenship. Citizenship is a concept originating in the 1950s defined by T. H. Marshall as ‘a status which is enjoyed by a person who is a full member of a community’ (Scott, 2014). The 3 components to Citizenship are:

• Civil: individual freedoms (e.g. speech, religious beliefs) protected by law
• Political: participating in politics through voting or other means
• Social: appropriate living standards i.e. welfare state and education system.

This narrow explanation of citizenship has been expanded to better describe its application in the 21st century. Hoskins and Mascherini (2009) explained that citizenship is not only the rights and responsibilities of individuals but also the need for political action and associative life based on the values of human rights and democracy. Active citizenship is when a citizen sees the need for political or social action and tries to deliver that change. In 2020, thousands of citizens, mainly young people, took to the streets of London during a global pandemic to protest (pictured above) against the barbaric, inhumane and unlawful treatment of Black people, primarily in the United States following the unjust murders of Briana Taylor and George Floyd. People of all ethnicities saw the videos of these tragic events on social media and called each other to action. These protests raised the profile of structural issues faced by minority ethnic groups and made politicians think about the impact of policing policies. Yes, examples of active citizenship such as this can make a difference but this difference rarely translates into societal change as it is not replicated in elections. Young people are often referred to as issue voters as they care more about particular issues than the big picture. To create lasting change, we need young people to vote in elections which means getting them to participate in more traditional forms of political participation including joining political parties.

 

The Solution

‘Education’s gonna change the cycle’ (Netflix, 2022). The solution to making people active citizens and therefore more likely to vote in elections is better Citizenship Education. The video below is a 4-minute clip from the Netflix show ‘We The People’ called Active Citizenship (Netflix, 2022). The clip illustrates the ways in which people can become active citizens in their own communities and why it is important. Please watch it before I explain how Citizenship Education can break the vicious cycle of party political apathy and create active citizens from a young age.

Citizenship has been a part of the National Curriculum since 2002, following the recommendations of the Crick Report in 1997 and it ‘is underpinned by three principle aims to develop: social and moral responsibility, political literacy and community involvement’ (Association for Citizenship Teaching, 2023). Although Citizenship is part of the National Curriculum, it is not taught in the same way in all schools. Schools, like mine, had extensive Citizenship education in the form of student councils, Parliament visits and more formal teach as well. My schools approach to Citizenship is part of the reason why I am an active citizen, they taught me about UK politics and why it is so important to vote. Some schools do not have the resources or expertise to teach Citizenship in the correct way. We need to standardise the subject of Citizenship so that no child is ever given an advantage or disadvantaged in politics regardless of where they were schooled. Everyone should be taught about the system of politics so that they understand why it is important to engage. The more young people engage in politics, the better the 18-24 year old voter turnout and the more representation for the issues and parties they care about.

 

Bibliography

Association for Citizenship Teaching (2023) What is Citizenship Education?. Available at: https://www.teachingcitizenship.org.uk/what-is-citizenship-education/ (Accessed: 10/03/2023).

Baggs, M. (2020) ‘Black Lives Matter in the UK: ‘We’re still not being heard’’, BBC, 25^th August. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-53812576 (Accessed: 10/03/2023.

Clark, D. (2019) Membership of political parties in the United Kingdom in 2019, by age group. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/871492/political-party-membership-in-the-uk-by-age/ (Available at: 10/03/2023).

Hoskins, B., Mascherini, M. (2009) Measuring Active Citizenship through the Development of a Composite Indicator. Social Indicators Research. 90 (3) pp. 459-488. DOI:10.1007/s11205-008-9271-2.

Mortimore, R., Skinner, G., Spielman, D. (2020) How Britain voted in the 2019 election. Available at: https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/how-britain-voted-2019-election (Accessed: 10/03/2023).

Netflix (2022) We The People|FULL EPISODE|Active Citizenship [YouTube]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3IRW4zH18A (Accessed: 10/03/2023).

Norris, P. (2004) ‘Young People & Political Activism: From the Politics of Loyalties to the Politics of Choice?’ Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Pippa-Norris-2/publication/237832623_Young_People_Political_Activism/links/569153d708aee91f69a50822/Young-People-Political-Activism.pdf (Accessed: 10/03/2023).

Scott, J. (2014) Oxford Dictionary of Sociology. (4^th edn.) New York City, USA: Oxford University Press..