The Myth of Youth Apathy

Abstract

A common interpretation of the low levels of electoral turnout of young voters is that they are apathetic and part of a generation which does not care about political issues -indeed, a selfish and materialistic generation. In this article, we question this common perception and test this claim against an important alternative: that the limitations to youth participation in Europe is not due to a lack of interest in the public good, but rather to a combination of contextual and psychosocial factors, including the real as well as perceived inadequacy of the existing political offer. We assessed young people's attitudes towards democratic life in the UK, France, Spain, Austria, Finland, and Hungary. We used a mixture of comparative mass survey, stakeholder interviews, an experiment, and focus groups. Our data suggests that young people are willing to engage politically but are turned off by the focus and nature of existing mainstream political discourse and practice which many believe excludes them and ignores their needs and interests. Contrary to the assumptions of the disaffected and apathetic citizen approach, there is a strong desire amongst many young Europeans to participate in democratic life but this desire is not met by existing democratic institutions and discourses.

School lessons, social media and political events in a get-out-the-vote campaign: successful drivers of political engagement among youth?

“…In both cases, countries with a high youth disengagement do not only lack input from younger cohorts in political decision-making processes, but also risk delegitimizing the democratic principle in the long term. Young voters' disengagement is in part attributable to the feeling that political candidates do not take them or their issues seriously, but also to a discouraging political discourse (Cammaerts et al 2014). Iyengar and Jackman (2003) further point to the busy life of the young, who focus on getting their first job, the college experience, and moving to new cities, among other things.…”

Educating Future Planners about Working with Children and Young People

“…Enrolled students learn about children's rights, ethics and research methods, and then work with children/young people on planning and design projects. A key objective is for students to appreciate the variety of conditions affecting children's/young people's wellbeing, as well as their agency, insight and competence when negotiating the world and participating in the public sphere (Cammaerts, Bruter, Banaji, Harrison, & Anstead, 2014;Chawla & Heft, 2002;Vromen, Xenos, & Loader, 2015). A child-centred approach influenced subject development, and its delivery.…”

Political Consumerism as a Neoliberal Response to Youth Political Disengagement

“…Prominent within this field is the controversy over the term 'youth political apathy' [9][10][11][12], especially since the declining electoral participation of young people is being perceived as a continuous hindrance for the future and proper functioning of several democracies around the globe. Moreover, political scientists point out that the perceived loss of confidence and social ties, especially for the young generations, does not remain limited to the political arena but permeates all aspects of civil-society [13].…”

“…Moreover, political scientists point out that the perceived loss of confidence and social ties, especially for the young generations, does not remain limited to the political arena but permeates all aspects of civil-society [13]. While it is easy to accuse the young of being part of a selfish, apathetic, and predominately materialistic generation, recent research has instead indicated that young people continue to demonstrate a strong desire to partake in democratic life, but this desire is met with social and contextual obstacles [10]. Hence, a significant part of recent academic research has been oriented towards identifying the individual and collective factors which may be constituting the social their personal choices to trigger collective political change [42,43].…”

“…Hence, a significant part of recent academic research has been oriented towards identifying the individual and collective factors which may be constituting the social their personal choices to trigger collective political change [42,43]. By doing so, it manages to reconcile the individualistic tendencies of the neoliberal market-based economy with the collective appeal of the empowered citizen-consumer [10,44], which neoliberalism itself has brought forward.…”