“Youth just don’t care” is one of the biggest excuses political parties and social justice organisations use to explain away the fact that they are completely unattractive to young people. Short answer: It’s a lie. Research shows again and again that youth are very much politically engaged and that the ‘low voter turn out’ statistics show but a tiny part of the picture.
I’m collecting sources by country. Wanna help me? Share this post and let me know if you know more studies like this.
The Myth of Youth Apathy:
Young Europeans’ Critical
Attitudes Toward Democratic
Life
(Europe)
Politiek activisme voor iedereen?
– een onderzoek naar de verschillen in activisme per
leeftijdsfase en cohort (the Netherlands)
Uninterested Youth? Young people’s attitudes
towards party politics in Britain. (Britain) (behind a pay wall, let me know if you see a place where it’s free)
Young People & Political Activism:
From the Politics of Loyalties to the Politics of Choice? (International)
The Myth of Apathetic Youth
and the Importance of Contact
in Political Participation (Canada)
By the way, that report from Canada contains some excellent graphs like this:
