The Participation of American and British Youth in Political Life of Their Countries.
Essay in Cultural Studies
The Participation of American and British Youth in Political Life of
Their Countries.
Minsk 2008
Content
1. Introduction
3
2. Political apathy among the youth
4
3. Participation in presidential and
parliamentary elections 7
4. Conclusion
15
5. References
16
Introduction
Politics is an integral
part of our life. And it really doesn’t matter whether you are a politician by
profession or a plumber who is far from world of politics. Actually you may not
be interested in politics but politics still will be interested in you. The
fact is that every person above 18 years old both in our country and in Great
Britain and the USA from the politician’s point of view is regarded as a voter,
his potential supporter. That’s why the participation of all the people of the
country is so essential and of great importance for politicians.
Unfortunately for them
the latest public opinion polls showed political apathy among the young people.
The sociologists say that the youth is simply not interested in political life
of their country. The aim of my work was to find out the reasons for such
apathetic attitude. Besides that I tried to compare the situation in Great
Britain and the USA in order to find out whether this tendency is general for
all modern young people.
While working
on this topic I’ve analysed the results of several public opinion polls made in
Britain and the USA, a lot of newspaper articles, news articles on the
web-sites of BBC and CNN and the comments of the young people judging this
problem.
I’ve found
out that the situation is not so simple and not so definite as it seemed to me
in the very beginning.
Political apathy among the youth
During the
election campaign politicians mobilize all their forces and possibilities. They
are really fighting for voters. According to the constitutions of the USA, according to the
British law as well, all citizens of both sexes over 18 years of age have a
right of voting. But in reality not all the people exercise this lawful right.
The surveys show that the major part of those who don’t vote is the people from
18 to 25. That’s why it’s so important for politicians to provoke interest to
politics among the youth.
The recent research
confirms political apathy or a sense of political alienation among the young, it says that they are
not interested in politics, don’t want to participate in political life and don't
bother about any political problems of their country. To modern youths,
politics and statesmanship are things best left to the generation ahead or
behind, or to professional politicians and the newspapers.
Conventional
media wisdom insists young people are simply not interested in politics.
Popular images of youth — causing mayhem, lacking discipline, escaping
responsibilities — suggest young people are far too busy to engage with
politics.
One of the surveys
analyzed the major interests and leisure activities of today’s American youth. [1] These are the results:
99%:
Television
98%
Music
89%
Computers
4%:
Politics
Taking into
consideration these facts we can’t but agree that the youth don’t treat politics
seriously. The lack of interest is rather obvious, but it’s not as simple as it
seems to be. The "apathetic youth of today" headlines are a dominant
media frame used to explain widespread political disengagement and declining
levels of voting.
Tony Breslin,
head of the Citizenship Foundation which promotes participation in British
life, tried to comment on these results. He has a different point of view than
the above mentioned. He said the survey dealt with one of the most frequent
false assumptions about the young - that they don't care.
"We take
this lack of interest in politics as a lack of interest in society," said
Mr Breslin.
"But
what we tend to find is that young people lack an interest in a group of
political institutions because they can't see their relevance.
"Research
shows there's a real deficit in knowledge among the young of the political
system - but there's a real interest in single issues. This doesn't always work
through to traditional political channels." [1]
Mr Breslin
said government ambitions to reconnect youth to institutions needed far more
than the lip service of the past - but the recent introduction of citizenship
to the national curriculum was a good start.
You have to
understand the system to be able to understand the news in the first place. A
person can find out a fair amount from what his parents, but what about the
people whose parents don't understand it, because their parents didn't either?
The Duke of
Edinburgh Award Scheme has published the results of its nationwide survey of
youth opinion to help find out what our future adults do, say, think and want.
The results
suggest there is a level of frustration among many of the young and a degree of
fear for their own security in a world where all too often they are the ones
blamed when things go wrong.
One of the
major themes emerging from the research is frustration with political
institutions and authorities.
More than
half recognised the way the country runs affects the quality of their lives -
but 68% believed the government does not listen to young people.
Three
quarters said it was difficult to make their views known.
Only half of
those in the survey said they understood how the country is run, the figure
falling further among those from poorer backgrounds.
“You have to understand
the system to be able to understand the news in the first place. Perhaps a
regular article or a tutorial-like website with 'beginners politics' is what we
need?” (Helen Hogg, 17, England) [1]
"What we
see among young people is that if they get involved locally in an issue and if
they are listened to and share in taking decisions, then that sense of
involvement grows from the local to the national," said Steve Sharp.
"But we
have to remember that the government can't tell people to be more interested in
politics, it doesn't work that way." [1]
Participation in presidential and parliamentary elections
If we want to find out the
rate of activity of people in political life of a country we can look at the
number of voters who take part in parliamentary and presidential elections. It
will be the right indicator of activity.
According to the British
Election Survey, only 52% of the under 24s voted at the 2001 General Election -
some 2.2m people. [1] That came a year after research warned the televising of
Parliament was turning off an entire generation of new voters.
In 2006 in
the USA, 650 people aged 18-30 were surveyed. 80 percent said they were
registered to vote, but the pollsters think some of them were lying. Mr. Goeas,
a consultant with the Republican Tarrance Group predicted that only 35 percent
of those surveyed would actually vote. Almost a quarter of the respondents have
little to no interest in the election, and a gender gap is evident, with men
generally expressing greater interest than women. [6]
Well, the figures speak
by themselves.
Another indicator of
political activity is the attitude of a person to political parties, whether he
attaches himself to any party or not and why.
There was a public
opinion poll made in the Manchester and London area the aim of which was to
find out how the young people felt about party politics. These are some of the
comments:
“To be honest I’m not too
bothered. I don’t keep up with developments at Westminster [the site of UK
government]. These days my job, my cash flow and socialising are more
important!”(Tom, 28, from Manchester)
“I can’t relate to any of
the politicians. They all seem fairly similar and rarely listen to young
people.” (Fiona, 25, from London) [6]
Of course these two
comments can’t represent the opinion of all the youth, but unfortunately they
represent the opinion of the majority of both British and American youth.
“Young people
today aren’t interested in politics because we think it doesn’t affect us. In
my opinion politicians don't ask our views on issues or consider our futures.”
(Kate, 17, UK) [2]
“Young people
lack an interest in a group of political institutions because they can't see
their relevance” (Joseph, 20, UK) [1]
Of course
it's true that many young people take no notice of the government or the
countrys' leaders, but I'd say that some find it thought provoking and
genuinely fascinating.
The
YPP also works to bring more people into politics through projects such as the
Spirit of Birmingham II. This is a project aimed to give school children the
chance to debate ethical issues.
The
YPP organises national and international events to allow young people the
chance to get involved in politics. Also new technology has enabled the YPP to
join a ‘global voice’ for young people from all over the world. This means that
young people here in the Midlands can campaign along side people from all over
the world.
This
scheme has meant the young peoples concerns over homelessness, drugs, bullying,
transport and leisure can be discussed with politicians or other decision
makers. There is also the United Kingdoms Youth Parliament (UKYP), which
involves young people in politics.
The
UKYP’s elections have just taken place to choose five Members of the Youth
Parliament (MYPs) to represent Birmingham. The MYP’s will now meet with young
people to find out their concerns before discussing with campaigns they will be
working on.
Once
they have decided on this they have to produce a manifesto, which will be
presented to the regional MYP’s. After this a national manifesto is produced
which is presented to the Houses of Parliament.
This
really involves young people in politics and it does mean that politicians take
our views seriously and listen to us. Last year's national manifesto received a 32 page response from
parliament.
Unfortunately
these programmes are not openly advertised which does prevent some people getting involved.
Politicians aim everything at the older generation; even things that matter to
young people are not discussed with them. [2]
There is also the British
Youth Council (BYC) which is led by young people for young people, aged 26 and
under, across the UK. This year BYC is celebrating 60 years of empowering young
people to have a say and be heard.
The majority of studies
suggest that the young people are just not interested in politics but a closer
study is more revealing. If we look more attentively we’ll notice that the
youth is not as disinterested as the media says.
The point is that for
many young people politics is not about Westminster. Issues like the US-UK led
Iraq war have sparked debate and action in recent years. In 2003 over a million
people marched through London, many of them young and passionate.
Of course
technology played a huge role in organising this protest on a global scale. It
has become a factor in providing many young people across the world with a chance
to interact and discuss without the traditional middle-man of the politician or
news media.
The British
Council’s Café Society project allows young people from countries across
the world to meet in a relaxed, informal setting and share opinions through
video conferencing.
Besides that
recently the launch of UK Politics YouTube channel was made, and Gordon Brown
had made a statement that politics and new media should mix. A lot of young
people support the idea that the politicians would use new ways of
communicating. The idea YouTube to promote awareness and opinion on politics
seems pretty good.
The concept
is actually very encouraging. It's supporting free speech and pushes people to
mould their own views and develop a standard of how they want their country to
be run. It is getting rid of the "not now, I'll do it later, I can't be
bothered" stigma that is attached to a lot of things that need to be
fulfilled in life (washing dishes, cleaning bedrooms, election voting…) and
getting young people to take an active interest in wider issues than just
Facebook notifications.
There is no
doubt that the main political event in every country is the presidential
elections. Here I should say that the resent surveys concerning the
presidential elections in the USA show great interest of American youth towards
this event.
Young
Americans are paying attention to the 2008 presidential race, and many young
people are even ready to help their preferred candidate achieve victory, a poll
by Harvard University’s Institute of Politics (IOP) shows. [3]
Like the
national average, voter turnout among young Americans has been on the rise.
From 2000 to 2004, turnout among 18- to 29-year-olds increased 9 percent, more
than double the overall turnout increase. In the 2006 midterm elections,
turnout in this age group was 3 percent higher than in 2002, nearly double the
national turnout increase. The 2006 election was the first increase in young
voter turnout in a nonpresidential election in 24 years.
Today polls
indicate that youth turnout in 2008 could once again increase. Polls show that
young Americans are paying close attention to both American politics and
national and international affairs. A poll conducted by the Pew Research Center
for the People and the Press in March showed that 85 percent of 18- to
29-year-olds say they are interested in keeping up with national affairs.
Young Americans share
many of the concerns of those in other generations.
Young
Americans are ready to help out in presidential elections campaigns – more than
a third said that if asked, they would volunteer for a campaign. Even more are
willing to if encouraged by a friend. Sixty percent said they would spread the
word about a candidate they like by talking with friends and family.
In the
Republican and Democratic parties of the USA, much of a candidate's volunteer
base is made up of students "who have the time and also the energy to do
neighborhood walks and knock on doors and make phone calls," said Jordan
Sekulow, who was 22 when he served as national youth director for the 2004
Bush-Cheney campaign. [4]
Working for a
presidential campaign requires lots of time and energy, something America's
young people have in abundance.
Campaign
workers learn new skills on the job. Josh Alcorn, a regional field director for
Democratic candidate Joe Biden's campaign said he learned much about time
management and organizing. "People are going to caucus for a candidate
because they like the organizer. Being able to sell them on yourself before you
sell them on a candidate is crucial," he said. [4]
Working on a
campaign is also an opportunity to build strong friendships and meet new people
across the country, Alcorn said. He said he built a network of relationships
that "are going to last a lifetime."
More than
half of the respondents said they would join a candidate’s online group, such
as a Facebook group. Candidates have been focusing much of their efforts
online, but as Harvard University junior Marina Fisher said, students also like
the more traditional methods of promoting a candidate with lawn signs, bumper
stickers and rallies. “These seem like the oldest ways of engagement we can
think of,” Fisher said.
“It is clear
that while new media are emerging, the old ones are here to stay,” she said.
[3]
By the way I’ve found
quite a fascinating fact – some of the young people complain of lack of
agitation information! This is true especially for under-18th.
“We start
voting at 18. And before that, do we not need to build a political opinion on
party views and on leaders? And whilst this is happening, do we not need
motivation to go out and physically vote for who runs our country? And what are
the leaders of Britain doing to engage this potentially captive audience?
Nothing to me, that's for sure…”
“I turned 18
this summer (i.e., I am now legal to vote in elections) and did I receive any
information on voting or party propaganda? Not one little leaflet. Instead, I
have to rely on the ever-unbiased news and material posted through my door,
addressed to my Tory councillor father—so any information I DO read is
Conservative based. Are the politicians reaching out to the kids? Well, I would
say they are getting better. Some consciously and some are naturals at reaching
out.”
“Sometimes
politicians shouldn't try and be "in with the kids" — wouldn't this
just ridicule their reputation amongst serious MP's and cabinet members?
Perhaps there is a point where young people can be included (without being
patronised) and politicians can be taken seriously amongst their peers. Getting
a balance is difficult.” (Jessica, 18, UK) [3]
Some of those
“complaining” young people even suggested to start voting at 16.
“We're
not taught about politics and it’s only when we turn 18 that the politicians
and society become interested in us, but is this right?”
“Most
people argue that we shouldn’t be able to vote until we are 18 because we
aren’t mature enough to make an uninfluenced decision until then. However, if
we were taught about it and were involved in it we would have enough
intelligence to make our own decision. After all, who’s to say that at 18 we
can make a completely independent decision? We don’t suddenly turn 18 and
understand politics, do we?”
“At
16 I can smoke, leave home, start work, join the armed forces, pay tax and get
married with my parent’s permission. At 17 I will be able to learn to drive but
it’s not until I’m 18 that I can vote for who I want to be the Prime Minister.
Is this fair?” (Kate
Sutton,17) [2]
Of course it’s not only
the politicians’ fault that the youth don’t participate properly in politics
(due to the lack of information, propaganda, absence of proper political
studies at schools and colleges and whatever else). There are other factors
which influence greatly on a person – a family and media.
The word
politician envisages an old, tired and worn-out individual but, in general, we
hardly think of youngsters as politicians. Many of us regard politics as
"quicksand" where if one gets in, will never be able to come out. Due
to this wrong notion, politics is definitely not one among the diverse career
options chosen by the youngsters. Many of us portray youth as `cool, young and
happening' but we fail to realise the potential and capacity of the young blood
in reforming our age-old politics. That’s why all the political information
given by different kinds of media is generally aimed at the adults.
“At the age
of 39 I don't blame young people for being apathetic about politics. The only
way to have any influence is to be selected as a member of a focus group which
exist only to provide politicians with key words for their slogans. On the
BBC's Newsnight during the Tories' last conference, people struggled to tell
apart soundbites from Ian Duncan Smith and Tony Blair. I would be surprised if
young people were NOT apathetic.” (Martin Berridge, UK) [1]
As such, a prudent reason
for the youth not entering politics is the misrepresentation of the youth as
`cool, young and happening' and entering into politics or even discussing it is
considered as a waste of time. A very less number actually possess a voter
identification card and even lesser number actually go to vote, all of which
results in a degraded majority and a wrong party on power. And then, with a
frown on their face, the same youngsters moan," Our country will never
change". [5]
If we observe
from the societal point of view, the reason for lack of interest in politics
among the youngsters can be their parents and elders. They feel that politics
is not their cup of tea and that they would rather want their sons and
daughters to have a secure life. In other words, they want their children to
choose a career that has more security and more potential, i.e. a good job with
good money. Due to this, many ebullient youngsters who have the real potential
to change the political scenario of the country sit in their air-conditioned
offices, doing a more "secure" job and deriding and despising the
politics of the country. Of course they disparage the politicians too.
Conclusion
Having analysed quite a
lot of articles, comments of people of different ages and social status,
statistical data I have come to the conclusion that the problem of youths’
participation in political life of a country is very ambiguous. One the one
hand the percentage of non-voters in the USA and Great Britain is still high.
I’ve singled out several major reasons for young people’s lack of interest.
They are:
1) considering politics boring and waste
of time;
2) lack of knowledge about the political
system of the country’;
3) the assurance of no relevance of the
participation;
4) excessive influence of parents on
their child’s political identification.
On the other hand the
rise of activity of the youth on the local level is seen recently and the
interest to the nation-wide and global problems is fixated. These are good
symptoms which indicate the recovery of the British and American society.
Of course some forms of
political participation in Britain and the USA appear to be in crisis.
Moreover, the way that the media and politicians have responded to the apparent
crisis of youth participation has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. A full
review of young people's place in the political environment is needed. This
requires the application of different criteria for evaluating youth interests,
and the avoidance of some of the most routinely used phrases to describe young
people's attitudes to politics
The mediated
portrayal of youth, politics and citizenship is critical to the future of any
democratic state. Frequently charged with being dangerously apathetic, news
media could look towards changing common media representations of young
citizens, and promote more active contributions.
References
1. Dominic
Casciani / Youth wants interesting politics Mode of access:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/uk/2493485.stm
Date of access: 9.11.2008
2. Kate Sutton / Apathy rules UK - unless it's a war protest.
Mode of access:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/teens/2003/04/youth_politics.shtml
Date of access: 9.11.2008
3. Michelle Austein / Young Americans Paying Close Attention
to Presidential Race. Mode of access:
http://www.america.gov/st/elections08-english/2007/December/20071206173711hmnietsua9.809512e-02.html
Date of access: 19.11.2008
4. Michelle
Austein / Young People Play Key Roles in Presidential Campaigns. Mode of
access:
http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2007/October/20071024170124hmnietsua0.6329462.html
Date of access: 19.11.2008
5. Priyanka Rao / Gloomy scenario:
The word politician envisages an old, tired and worn-out individual. Mode of
access: http://www.hindu.com/edu/2006/05/22/stories/2006052202390400.htm
Date of access: 9.11.2008
6. Sarah Wheaton / Political Youth. Mode of access:
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/09/28/partying-for-the-youth-vote/?scp=6&sq=youth%20&%20politics&st=cse
Date of access: 19.11.2008
7. Stephen Cushion / Misrepresenting
Youth: UK Media and Anti-Iraq War Protesters. Mode of access:
http://bad.eserver.org/issues/2004/65/cushion.html
Date of access: 19.11.2008