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Frequency 2004
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[ Youth Political Apathy]


..::: Youth Political Apathy :::..


As previously discussed, many youth are simply not engaged in traditional politics. In fact, March 2002 CIRCLE survey revealed that while 50% of young adults believe that voting is important, 49% believe voting is unimportant.

The National Association of Secretaries of State gives five reasons for why young adults are not engaged in traditional politics:
    1. Parents, as displayed by the overall decline in voting among all age groups, are not voting and thus, parental influence on youth regarding voting has also declined.
    2. There is very little youth-oriented political communication from politicians.
    3. Aspects of the political process such as voter registration, absentee votes, etc. can be confusing or simply unknown to youth.
    4. Youth believe their interests and those of politicians are incompatible and that politicians are motivated by selfish reasons (such as money).
    5. Many young adults view the process as flawed and do not want to take part in it.
Other factors (among many) include the beliefs that politics rarely achieve any results and that the results of elections will have negligible impact on youth, and a simple lack of political knowledge (candidates, issues, etc.).




From the Youth Vote Statistic Fact Sheet:

1. Nearly half of all the college students polled believe that politics rarely has any immediate or tangible results.




MTV/The Kaiser Family Foundation survey (Sept. 2001) from Youth Vote Press Releases:

The survey documents some of the reasons young people may be avoiding greater voter participation. Seven out of ten say politicians are out of touch with the concerns of people their age, and the same percentage believe the results of the election will have no more than a small impact on them personally.

Those who are not certain they will vote cited three top reasons: a lack of information on the candidates, cited by 60% [lack of awareness?]; the belief that they can make more of a difference getting involved in their community than voting (58%); and the sense that "politics is just about money and lying and I don’t want to involve myself in it" (39%).

Other possible reasons for lower participation among this age group include their general sense that things are already "going in the right direction" in this country (60%), and the fact that their positions on the issues don’t put them neatly into either the Democratic or Republican camps.

"It’s clear that young people have strong opinions on the issues being debated in this campaign, but many of them don’t see the election as the way to express those opinions or have an impact on public policy," said Vicky Rideout, Vice President at the Kaiser Family Foundation. "The connection hasn’t been made between voting and what happens on the issues they care most about."


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CIRCLE National Youth Survey

“March 4, 2002: CIRCLE, in collaboration with the Center for Democracy and Citizenship and the Partnership for Trust in Government at the Council for Excellence in Government, released a survey of 1,500 Americans between the ages of 15 and 25 and their views toward civic life and institutions.”

[Excerpts]:

Political Engagement and Voting

  • 80% are unlikely to work for local government and 75% are unlikely to work for the federal government.
  • 57% say they are unlikely to run for an elected leadership position (vs. 32% in 1998), 53% are unlikely to work for a political party, 50% are unlikely to join a political organization, and 46% are unlikely to volunteer in a political campaign.
  • 50% say voting is important (49% not important).
  • 34% see voting as a choice vs. 20% a responsibility and only 9% a duty.
  • Only 53% say government and elections address their needs and concerns, and only 48% say political leaders pay attention to the concerns of young people.
  • Only 46% say they can make a difference in solving community problems (52% little or no difference).
    ....

    Volunteering

  • 49% see volunteering for community activities as most important vs. 12% for participating in politics and government.
  • 37% never volunteer (up from 27% in 2000), 31% volunteer occasionally (down from 38% in 2000), and 27% volunteer at least once a month (down from 30% in 2000).
    ....

    Efficacy

  • 85% believe their votes count as much as anyone else’s, but 71% believe candidates would rather talk to older, wealthier people than to younger people.
  • 62% of college graduates and 55% of 18 to 25 year olds in college feel they can make a difference.
  • Only 41% of 15 to 17 year olds believe they can make a difference (and only 35% of those who are not planning to attend college believe they can make a difference).
  • 50% believe someone like them cannot have a real impact on solving community problems (vs. 45% who believe they can).
  • 49% strongly believe politics is about politicians competing to get elected vs. 32% who believe politics is the way average people get their say in government.

    Lessons for Candidates

  • Only 53% believe politics, elections and government address their concerns.


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    Attitudes Toward Politics and Public Service:
    A National Survey of College Undergraduates
    from Harvard University’s Institute of Politics:

    [ Excerpts ]:

    College students are disillusioned about and disconnected from the political system.

  • 64% do not trust the Federal government to do the right thing all or most of the time.
  • 74% of college students believe that politicians are motivated by selfish reasons.
  • 87% say they need more practical information about politics before they get involved.
  • 86% of students agree that volunteering in the community is easier than volunteering in politics.
  • 97% believe "enjoyment of activity" is an effective factor in motivating them. But only 7% strongly agree that "political activity is enjoyable," while 46% somewhat agree and 44% disagree.

    College students are seeking new ways to solve local and national problems.

  • 85% prefer community volunteerism to political engagement as the better way to solve important issues facing their communities.
  • 60% of students prefer community volunteerism to political engagement as the better way to solve important issues facing the country.


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    Panetta Institute Survey (Jan 11, 2000)

    [Excerpt]:

    Students Are Not Very Involved In Electoral Politics

    Students are less likely to vote than the population at large. More than four in ten (43%) of eligible students admit that they did not vote in the Presidential election of 1996. Two thirds (66%) of eligible students say they failed to turn out for the elections of 1998. Slightly fewer students (71%) than adults (76%) report they are currently registered to vote, but there is a clear tendency to over-report both registration and voting across the population. Students also do not spend much time either following or discussing politics. Only 27% of students follow politics "most of the time" and only 27% discuss politics at least three times a week.

    Nonetheless, College Students Are Public-Spirited And Civic-Minded

    Despite their lack of interest in politics, college students express their public spirit and civic-mindedness in numerous ways. Nearly three-quarters (73%) have done volunteer work in the past two years, and most (62%) more than once. Their volunteer experiences include caring for the hungry or homeless (33%), helping people in other countries (12%), and cleaning up the environment (16%). Half (50%) report making a purchase decision based on their political beliefs, and large numbers report having contacted an elected official (29%) or the media (28%) about an issue.

    Students’ civic-mindedness and public spirit is also evident in some of the values they profess. Finding a job that "will make a positive difference in people’s lives" is considered at least "very important" by 80%. This compares to, for example, 55% who say finding a well-paying job is at least "very important." Seventy percent (70%) put a similarly high value on working to make their community, or country (69%), a better place. Yet, "serving" one’s country or following current events are important to many fewer (44% and 46%, respectively).

    There Is Substantial Interest In Public Service Careers, Though Not In Politics

    Many students expect to spend part of their careers in jobs that reflect their civic-mindedness, including working for "non-profits" (17% "very likely," 63% total likely), in "public service" (18% "very likely," 56% total likely), and in "public affairs" (7% "very likely," 40% total likely). Interest in these careers cuts across demographic groups, however women (62% total likely), and social science majors (73% total likely) are somewhat more likely to say they will pursue a career in public service.

    However, public service does not mean politics or government to these students. Nearly half (49%) say that a career in public service involves working for a non-profit, in their mind. Only about a third (38%) equate public service with work in government.

    Far Fewer Students Are Interested In Political Careers Or Work In Government

    Far fewer students express an interest in pursuing careers in "politics" (6% "very likely," 25% total likely) or "government" (8% "very likely," 36% total likely) than are interested in "public service" or "public affairs."

    Students do not see politics as a particularly good way of achieving any of their career goals. Hi-tech and education are seen as the best way to challenge oneself, while those careers, plus medicine, are seen as the best ways to do something "exciting and interesting." Business affords the best opportunities for promotion, while hi-tech, law, medicine, and business are thought to be the best ways to earn a living. Even in the areas where politics should have natural advantages it lags behind other careers. For example, 32% say that education is the best way to make a difference for society, compared to only 8% who say that about politics. Similarly, 27% say the best way to give something back to one’s community is through non-profit work and 22% say through education, compared to 17% for politics.

    Cynicism And Alienation Cannot Account For The Low Level Of Interest And Participation In Politics

    Alienation is often cited as the source of lower participation among young people in politics. If this were in fact the causal link, we would expect students to be more cynical and alienated than other segments of the population. Instead, students are less alienated than the public overall. One measure of alienation is the extent to which people feel negatively toward both major parties. Few students (9%) have an unfavorable impression of both political parties. Further, students are more likely to feel favorably toward both parties (29%) than is the public overall (21%). A plurality of students (46%) are partisan, having a favorable impression of one party, but not the other.

    Compared to the public overall, students are less likely to feel government is run for the benefit of special interests (students: 49%; public 1998: 64%). Students are also more likely to trust the government to do what is right "just about always" or "most of the time" (students: 41%; public 1998: 29%). In addition, students are no more likely to find politicians crooked than is the public overall (students: 39% "quite a few" are crooked; public: 41% "quite a few").

    However, Students Are Less Likely To Find Government Relevant To Them Personally

    While higher levels of cynicism and alienation cannot account for lower levels of student participation, the sense that politics is irrelevant to students can. On these measures, there are meaningful differences between students and others.

    Students are less likely than adults overall to see politics as relevant to their lives. Government is substantially more likely to be seen as playing no role in the lives of students (35% no role) than in the lives of the general population (17% no role). Further, a slim plurality of students (48%) says government does not address the issues that concern them.


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    "So why don't you vote?"
    from Christian Science Monitor (Oct 19, 2000)

    [Excerpt]:

    Among Americans who admit they don't always vote, 44 percent polled in June by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press said they don't think it makes much difference whether George W. Bush or Al Gore is elected president.

    Those voters considered unlikely to vote in this year's election gave Pew multiple reasons for not voting:

  • 72% Don't like the candidates
  • 64% Unfamiliar with the candidates
  • 47% Could make a greater impact getting involved in the community than by voting 36% Don't want to get involved in politics
  • 26% Too difficult to get to polls
  • 13% Too complicated to register to vote


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    "Re-Rock the Youth Vote"
    from Christian Science Monitor (Mar 17, 2003)

    [Excerpt]:

    Oddly, though, when it comes to civic participation other than voting, young people perform admirably as activists of all stripes, according to a newly released Carnegie Corporation study. They volunteer in record numbers and take on many causes.

    Explaining the disparity between such vibrant civic participation and not voting isn't easy, but two big factors, experts say, are a general decline in teaching civics, and politicians ignoring the youth vote.

    In many schools, civics classes have been relegated to a senior-year elective, not a core requirement. But there's a twist: Many schools that have reinvigorated civics classes are finding ways to show students how they can make a difference.

    Last week, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R) of Tennessee, a former US education secretary, introduced a bill calling for more civics education. That's an idea worth pursuing.

    Unfortunately, candidates don't focus on young people because they know most don't vote. In fact, 64 percent of TV campaign ads in the last presidential election were placed in shows viewed by older adults, compared to 14 percent for younger audiences. Studies show young people tend to vote for more-independent candidates, such as Ross Perot (youth turnout was up in the 1992 election involving him), John McCain, Bill Bradley, and Ralph Nader. Those candidates avoided highly personal, negative ads. They also were seen as outside the political "norm."

    Could there be a lesson here? "They're [youth voters] rejecting traditional political processes as a way to achieve social and political change," says Alison Fields, creative director of Rock the Vote and principal author of the Carnegie study.

    At the same time, young people must recognize voting as fundamental to democracy and insist that candidates listen to their concerns.


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    "Solutions sought for low youth vote"
    from The Washington Times (Mar 12, 2003)

    [Excerpt]:

    Alison Byrne Fields, who wrote the paper entitled, "The Youth Vote: Democracy in Crisis," said one of the ways to improve it would be to pay attention to them.

    "It's related to relevance," she said. "The onus is on the political system. There is a need for the candidates to recognize the value of the youth vote."

    Fields said it is a chicken-and-egg issue. Which comes first, for the students to vote or politicians to seek the vote.

    She said the politicians have to realize "how easy and how cheap it is. All you have to do is call them (young voters) -- acknowledge that they exist."

    She said what is going on now is that "politicians rarely take them into consideration and in many cases ignore them."

    Despite the low voter turnout, young people are volunteering at higher numbers now than in previous generations and they are protesting more than their parents, the baby boomers.


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    Youth Civic Engagement Index

    [Excerpts]:

    Some highlights of the study:

  • Young people are much more likely to support government action and are just as engaged in apolitical civic activities as are older generations, but are less likely to trust others and participate in electoral politics.
  • "Generation DotNet" (15-25 year-olds) has a strong and distinct generational identity, while joining older citizens in using consumer activism as a vehicle for expressing their political and policy views.
  • Younger Americans don't share older generations' views about the responsibilities of citizenship, but they do say that civic education makes a big difference in fueling their interest in public affairs.
  • The report also identifies what is working to increase the civic engagement of young people.

    ....

    Some of the key findings about DotNets

  • Nearly six-in-ten DotNets are completely disengaged from civic life.
  • Nearly half say civic education increases their interest in public affairs.
  • Less than four-in-ten believe citizenship entails certain responsibilities.
  • More than a third have used boycotting, and a similar share have used "buycotting", to express their social views.

    The Distinct DotNets - A Paradox

    "This research reveals a real paradox in the civic attitudes of the DotNets," said William Galston, Director of CIRCLE. "The youngest generation is more favorable toward government action and more socially tolerant than older generations, yet they are also less attentive to public affairs, less involved in politics, and less trustful of others."


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    Youth Vote Nationwide Voting Survey

  • 52% of 18-24 year olds view voting as not important.

  • 48% of 18-24 year olds view voting as important.

  • Oftentimes, more young minorities (than white young people) view voting as not important:
             For example, the part of this survey given in Oakland, CA indicates that 55% of young African-Americans view voting as not important (43% important), 54% of young Latinos view voting as not important (45% important), and 55% ofAsian-Americans view voting as not important (44% important).

  • "Young adults between the ages of 21-24 say that voting is personally more important [57%] than young adults between the ages of 18-20 [36%]."

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