Why are young people so politically disengaged

From my own exepriences I can relate to the feelings of disinterest to current politics, this is not as a result of lack of care, but rather being oblivious and not understanding what is being discussed. It’s only as I’ve gotten older and being able to ask questions, that I have learnt more about policies and what this would mean for my future.

There are various reasons which provide answers in understanding why young people are politically disengaged and seemingly uninterested, these reasons can be formulated into categories which require exploration, such as; being uninformed in the current politics, not relating to the policies being discussed, and being alienated from the older generation.

Young Peoples attitudes

It can be argued that it is not that young people are uninterested in politics but rather they do not relate to the politics in which is being discussed nor the politicians who act as change-makers, as such they preoccupy their time with current affairs which supports their interests and deem politics and making change as something they have no control over. Furthermore, there is a large bubble of mistrust when it comes to politicians where young people often hold them in low esteem, leaving further room for disincentives in getting involved in politics (White et al, 2000). Furthermore, the difference in generations may somewhat explain the lack of relatability between politicians and young people of today, as such where no bridge is gapped, nor effort inclining the youth to learn more about politics, disengagement continues.

Evidence highlighting the low level of engagement is numerous. The first graph below displays the percentage of respondents, divided into 3 broad generations, who said they had no interest at all in politics between 1974 and 2017, as researched by the British election. Such data formidably highlights, whilst the number of people with no interest in politics is small, the youngest generation are persistently more likely to be disengaged than their elders, whilst there is no single cause for this, further research suggests various agreeable explanations.

The second graph below displays turnout patterns in elections which have taken place between 2015-2017, highlighting the percentage of age groups in which have voted.

Whilst the graph shows the youth as having a considerably low turnout, a positive can be assessed where there is an increase in votes from 2015-2019. An argument which can be proposed is that the government and political parties in such a period have made it in their interest to appeal to the younger generation thus neglecting to some extent the older generation whom they supposedly already have in their favour. Relatively, as can further be highlighted from the graph; whilst the turn out of ages between 18-34 has increased between 2015-2019, the turn out of ages between 35-75+ has considerably decreased.

Efforts in engaging the youth

An approach in education where it is proved effective is in specific classes designed to inform students about politics, government, parties and the way in which it works. Through this manner where it may be deemed as boring and irrelevant for some, its importance is also proved nonetheless. Further avenues of education which can be achieved in a fun and interactive manner are trips to houses of parliament and discussions and debates in classes, as such the very much reality of politics comes to light and young people can see and understand what it is really like (Weinberg, 2020).

Ultimately, whilst research suggests education is a key factor in engaging the youth in politics, importance of upbringing and family background is also essential as an intrinsic source of formulating opinions regarding politics.

Whilst it is essential to note not all youth have interest or even simply want to politically engage with politics and areas in the justice system, when given an opportunity, those who do pride themselves in making a change will do so. In order to gain a young person’s interest into politics it very much starts with education in the form of political socialisation, where young people are educated in school and at home, subsequenetly when the time comes to actively participate in not only voting but using their voices, they will be well learned, willing and articulate. 

Further relative methods of engaging the youth can be argued start within the home, where parents do not discuss politics and their opinions regarding it this may act as a barrier of interest for their children. Research suggests this is more common for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds where other things are assigned greater importance (White et al, 2000).

My Own engagement

The image on the left was taken at the 2019 Youth justice conference in which I attended with the youth organisation Youth Ink, that was held in Birmingham. This is an example of youth engagement in politics and making change despite having no recognisable education on politics except from a few classes at school. My involvement at the conference was in the form of leading a workshop for attendees made up of ministers, a range of organisations, the police and others working within the justice system and government. Whilst not directly effecting politics in the Houses of Parliament, I was able to share my ideas regarding approaches to help and aid young people out of the system. Ultimately in the essence of politics it can be argued a form of engagement in which young people adopt in replacement of voting is protests, social media discussions and in my case workshops aimed at the youth as well as the older generation. Importantly it is to be highlighted the reason for my engagement and decision to take part in this convention. One such reason being the relativity to what I was sharing, the reason and need for my input was my own lived experience, thus I was able to share my story and have a voice because I had knowledge on the topic and it was something I was comfortable in addressing. From my own experience and knowledge to adopt a young persons interest you must cater to what is important to them, allow them to have a voice and aid them in recognising their importance, through such an approach will their engagement increase and a positive output will be achieved where they take pride in making change and acting as sources of encouragement to others.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my blog and have gained some new thoughts and ideas regarding young people and their engagement within politics.

References:

British election study team., 2021. Age and voting behaviour at the 2019 General Election – The British Election Study. [online] Britishelectionstudy.com. Available at: <https://www.britishelectionstudy.com/bes-findings/age-and-voting-behaviour-at-the-2019-general-election/#.YhPX8S2l1QJ> [Accessed 21 February 2022].

Fox, S., 2018. Causes of falling youth turnout: declining political interest. [online] WISERD. Available at: <https://wiserd.ac.uk/news/causes-falling-youth-turnout-declining-political-interest> [Accessed 21 February 2022].

Weinberg, J., 2020. Politics in school ‘what exists and what works?’. [online] Eprints.whiterose.ac.uk. Available at: <https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/168298/1/JRRT%20Report%20-%20Politics%20in%20Schools%20-%20Nov%202020.pdf> [Accessed 23 February 2022].

White, C., Bruce, S. and Ritchie, J., 2000. Young People’s politics. [online] Jrf.org.uk. Available at: <https://www.jrf.org.uk/sites/default/files/jrf/migrated/files/1859353096.pdf> [Accessed 21 February 2022]