Does Government Really Matter?

We are witnessing “a generational shift in which young citizens tend to express areas of interest and concern, but often see those interests as unconnected, or even negatively related to government.” How has this impacted how policymaking incorporates the perspective of young people?

According to “Renewed Engagements: Building on America’s Civic Core,” published in 2007 by the National Conference on Citizenship, “… young people express the least distrust for government. They are least likely to say that it wastes money, is run by special interests, or is full of crooks. On the other hand, they are also the least likely to think that their own vote counts or that people like themselves have a say. In short, they feel relatively little power but also relatively little anger about the performance of the government.”

Now consider research from “The 2004 Youth Vote: A Comprehensive Guide,” which reported that 47 percent of 18- to 24-year-old citizens voted in the 2004 national election, an increase from 36 percent in 2000. There has been an even greater surge of youth participation in the early primaries for the 2008 presidential election. In the New Hampshire primary, 43 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds voted in the primary election, compared with 18 percent four years ago.

We need to be cautious about celebrating these increases. Peter Levine of CIRCLE says the increased numbers of young people voting is misleading for two reasons. First, there are simply a lot of young people coming of voting age right now, and that naturally increases the total number of voters. Second, the increase is reflective of patterns of local culture.

For example, larger numbers of young people have voted in Minnesota (long a hotbed of local political participation) than Mississippi (historically a low voter turnout state). As Levine says, “the political get more political.” Even for those young people who are voting, their feelings about their vote are tinged with skepticism as they “view it more as a ‘symbolic gesture’ than a means of creating change.” According to Benjamin Quinto, founder and Ex-Officio Executive Director of the Global Youth Action Network, “politics fails in every possible way to engage young people.”

It is important to note that Millennials are not opposed to efforts by the government to address social ills; they are simply unaware of the role that government could or should, or can’t and shouldn’t, play in this arena. They trust government more than Gen Xers and Boomers do, but are uninitiated in the history or possibilities of government working—or not working.

A report of focus groups with college students stated: “The Millennials appear to be much more comfortable and experienced with direct service than with politics, yet their feelings toward government, politicians, and the media are complex. They do not want to write off politics, despite their many criticisms; instead, they seek ways to engage politically.” The report goes on: “Yet, many students are not able to articulate how those policies are put into place, and what levels of government have authority in a given area.”

While Millennials are pragmatic and not prone to extreme ideologies, they are left without an overarching political philosophy to guide their interest in or opinion of government affairs. They have a sense of futility about political involvement, particularly with regard to changing policy—the kinds of strategies tried by their parents with little or no societal impact.

Social action is a safe place to express a personal identity, and is much safer and easier than in the political arena with its inherent conflict and most often less-than-lofty outcomes. danah boyd explains, “We are living in a time of the elongation of childhood where kids are kept out of public life and only glimpse it through the mass media. Their lives are so heavily regulated and controlled, they don’t see a public world outside of the celebritization of political candidates.”

An opportunity exists to engage young people in non-prescriptive discussions about the role of government in society and the ramifications of more or less government involvement in social issues. In this way, the experience of political participation can and should be more meaningful than political campaigns, such as the possibility of careers in public service and policymaking, including serving on committees and task forces for local government efforts.

“Telling young people to participate in bad institutions is mere propaganda,” writes the University of Washington’s Lance Bennett, Professor of Political Science and Ruddick C. Lawrence Professor of Communication. “On the other hand, young people need to be taught and encouraged to take part in reform efforts and other aspects of politics. Political participation does not come naturally, nor do powerful institutions have incentives to encourage it. In short, we must prepare citizens for politics, but also improve politics for citizens.”

A major cautionary note for anyone interested in engaging young people in conversations about the role of government and policy issues is that these conversations must be authentic and spin-free, or youth will quickly tune out. There needs to be active, facilitated dialogue that introduces young people on- and off-line to different points of view, and that openly and honestly challenges their assumptions and positions.