Center for Research on Vermont
Tuesday, April 11, 2000
Bringing Youth Back To The Ballot Box
Deb Markowitz,  Secretary Of State

"The death of democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush. It will be a slow extinction from apathy, indifference and undernourishment." -Educator Robert Maynard Hutchins

A quick look at national voter participation statistics shows that American democracy is in decline. In Vermont, we have experienced a similar - if less dramatic - decline in participation. When searching for an explanation for this decline we need look no further than our youngest citizens. Like many of their elders, fewer young people vote each year. Nationwide, fewer than one in five, 18 to 24-year-olds bothered to vote in 1998. But voter apathy is just one symptom of a larger, more dangerous problem. Young people today lack interest, trust and knowledge about American politics, politicians and public life generally. Insofar as no democratic institutions can survive without active citizens, this political apathy bodes poorly for the future for American democracy.

What we have learned from past decades is that we cannot wait until our children are 18 to educate them about the importance of being an informed and active participant in our democracy, we must start talking about the value of participating as soon as they can understand these concept. As New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner said "The decline in voting and other forms of citizen participation among young Americans is especially ominous because of what it bodes for the future . . . If one doesn't learn the lessons of citizenship in the early, formative years, there is little reason to expect that he or she will be transformed in mid-life into a model citizen."

We know that our young people recognize that government can play an important role in making the world a better place. Herein lies the possibility of democratic renewal. But democratic renewal will only be possible if parents and leaders in education, government, politics and the media commit themselves to a new, energetic, creative strategy for reconnecting American youth to politics and public life.

As Secretary of State I have no higher priority than to reinvigorate our democracy. In this regard, there can be no more important task than to inspire democracy's next generation of citizens and leaders. To this end, I have devoted a significant amount of my energy to starting up a project called Kids Voting Vermont. Kids Voting Vermont provides a comprehensive solution to a complex problem by bringing classrooms and communities together to teach school children of all ages the value of their vote. My hope it that Kids Voting Vermont, and other programs like it will help us ensure that our next generation of Vermonters will be active participants in our democracy.

National Secretary of State's Association New Millennium Project:

American Youth Attitudes on Politics, Citizenship, Government and Voting

Because of historic lows in voter turnout, especially among 18-24 year olds, the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) made a $100,000 commitment to study why young people don't vote. The polling data, the largest survey of its kind in the last decade, is a part of an on-going effort by our association to help reconnect young voters to the democratic process. In this study we identified strategies to reconnect American youths to the democratic process. The following are some of the results of this project:

The Problem: The percentage of young people who vote continues to drop and youth participation in the community remains distinctly apolitical.

Since 18 year olds were first given the chance to exercise their right to vote in the 1972 elections, the voter turnout rate of 18 to 24 year olds has steadily declined. In 1972, 50% of 18 to 24 year olds exercised their right to vote. By the 1996 elections, only 32% of 18 to 24 year olds turned out at the polls. Turnout among this age group in 1998 is projected to have been below 20%, perhaps the lowest in our nation's history. Even with changes that have made voter registration easier, only half (49%) of 18 to 24 year olds were registered to vote in 1996.

There is a double-digit gap in voter turnout between college and non-college educated youth. Forty-one percent of current college students or those with at least some college education report voting in November 1998, compared to just 25% of those with a high school education or less. There is a large gap between political and non-political engagement. Less than 20% of young Americans voted in 1998 and just 16% report having volunteered in a political campaign. In contrast, 53% say they have volunteered in non-political organizations. Our nation is at risk of losing this generation's participation in democracy.

Youth Concerns, Individualism and Volunteerism: Young people today are generally apprehensive about their future and cautious in their dealings with others. They are also decidedly focused on personal rather than public goals; youth volunteerism rates are high but these volunteer activities most often take the form of social service rather than public service.

• 51%)of today's 15 to 24 year olds believe that America's best years are ahead of us, while fully 39% worry that our best years may already be behind us.
• 32% generally believe that most people can be trusted and 65% felt that people should be approached with caution
• When asked their priorities 61% ranked having a close-knit family among the highest priorities, 60% said gaining knowledge, education and skills and 50% said becoming successful in a career (50%). In contrast, only 27% said their priorities include being a good American who cares about the good of the country, 26% included being involved in democracy and voting and only 25% said being involved and helping your community be a better place was a priority.

Although it is true that young people rate being involved in democracy and the community among their lowest priorities, this study also supports many other study findings that have shown youth volunteerism is on the rise. Youth are more likely to report being involved in their community (up sixteen points), more likely to be involved in their religious/spiritual beliefs (up eleven points) and even more focused on family (up 8 points) than were youth a decade ago.

However, this research uncovers new subtleties about youth volunteer activities; most often these activities take the form of social service in a one-on-one setting such as soup kitchens, hospitals, and schools. Our study also suggests that this type of volunteer work is motivated by a young person's desire to help others in a personal way.

Lack of Information and Skills:    Young Americans have only a limited, vague understanding of what it means to be a citizen in a democratic society. Young people suffer an information and skill deficit about politics and the process of voting. Their personalized and often vague understanding of citizenship deters them from getting involved in the political process. Parental political engagement is a critical ingredient in youth political engagement and, as reported later, many youth are learning not to vote from their parents.

• 46% of those surveyed either never spoke or did not speak very often to their parents about politics.
• A majority (55%) of the young people agree with the statement that schools do not do a very good job of giving young people the information they need to vote. Focus group respondents reinforced this survey finding, explaining that their high school courses failed to teach them how to register or how to vote.
• 25% of voting-age survey respondents named not having enough information about the candidates as being the main reason why youth do not vote. Youth also lack a clear understanding of the differences between the two major political parties. As one focus group participant in Baltimore, Maryland said, "I think [Democrats and Republicans] are kind of the same. I'm not sure what either of them necessarily stands for."
• Only 25% of respondents could answer all three of the following questions correctly: Who is the Vice-President of the United States; Who is your Governor; What is the length of term for a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Political Socialization.   America is in danger of becoming a divided nation of voters and non-voters. Absent the socializing influences of politically engaged parents, higher education, and other mediating institutions like churches and synagogues, young Americans may perpetuate the gap between voting and non-voting classes. America is in danger of developing a permanent non-voting class. Non-voters are disproportionately non-white, non-college educated and not in school. They tend not to read newspapers or to use the Internet. If today's non-voting, non-college youth become tomorrow's non-voting parents, the cycle of political disengagement will be perpetuated.

• 40% of young people whose parents vote in every election report voting in November 1998, while only 20% of those whose parents vote infrequently or not at all report voting in November 1998. 51% of youth who often discuss politics with their parents voted, compared to only 26% of youth who rarely or never discuss politics with their parents.
• Young people who attend religious services every week were more likely to report voting in the 1998 elections (43% report voting) than those who never attend services (25% report voting). Religious youth are also more likely to talk to their parents about politics.

Government, Politics, and Democracy.   In theory, most American youth believe that government has a legitimate role to play in people's lives and acknowledge that government has at least some impact in their own lives. In reality, they also see few connections between government's problem-solving role and the concerns they currently face in their daily lives. American youth are pragmatic about political participation. Most abstract ideals – such as a sense of civic duty -- pale in comparison to concrete benefits or harm when young people contemplate reasons for voting. In addition, this generation has been raised in a time of successive political scandals by increasingly cynical parents. They have learned to be skeptical and distrustful of politics and politicians.

• Six in ten survey respondents (60%) think government should help families achieve the American dream.
• A majority (56%) thinks that government's impact on their own lives is desirable.
• Seven in ten (72%) think government has at least some impact on their lives, though only one quarter (24%) say government has a strong impact.
• Nearly half (48%) acknowledge government's impact on their lives and classify this impact as positive.
• Civic duty is a motivator for only a small minority of young voters. When asked why they vote, 28% mentioned reasons related to obligation or duty.
• 64% agree that "government is run by a few big interests looking out for themselves, not for the benefit of all."
• 57% agree that "you can't trust politicians because most are dishonest." Distrust is slightly higher among 18 to 24 year old non-voters (64%) than among voters (58%) in that age bracket.
• 66% agree that, "Our generation has an important voice but no one seems to hear it."

Strategies and Messages for Engagement

Traditional motivations for political participation and voting are not working well for youth. Except for a small minority of young people, the sense of civic duty is muted. Strategies and messages for engagement must include creative and participatory solutions if any real change is going to occur. Generally, there also needs to be more effective education to provide youth with the information and skills they need to become motivated, enlightened, and active citizens.

Schools. Schools have a profound influence on young people's lives. Civic and political education should be a high priority in our schools. The research shows that young people are highly critical of how school government and civics classes are taught. The respondents do not feel that high schools do a very good job of teaching students about current events, the democratic process or voting. Clearly, data from this survey and other statistics on youth knowledge about civics support this criticism. Our educators should make every effort not only to encourage students, but also to teach them how to be effective citizens. Schools should consider providing students with educational experiences that connect them to the political process. Schools are also a good location for voter registration.

• 46% say having high schools help students register to vote would make young people a lot more likely to get involved in political activities. Moreover, survey respondents chose high school as the highest response (21%) when asked where they had registered to vote.
• 36% of the respondents say that making American government classes more participatory would make young people a lot more likely to get involved in the community and in political activities.

Parents.Youth who discussed politics and government with their parents while growing up were more likely to be registered voters. But, with adults also voting in relatively low percentages, there is little wonder why youth have failed to be more politically engaged by their parents. In order for young people to understand fully the importance of political and civic engagement and voting, older adults and parents need to be involved.

Furthermore, parents need to talk to their kids about the importance of voting and the effects voting has on our society. With youth often narrowly focused on their own, private lives, parents need to talk to their kids about how candidates, issues, and voting can and will affect their lives here and now. More than any other source, parents have the ability to bring civic engagement and voting into the world of young people.

In order to portray better the importance of civic engagement and voting, parents should take their children with them to the voting booth - especially when children are young. This would, at the very least, familiarize youth with the mechanics of voting. As we have seen in the study, demonstrating the act of voting is an important part of civic education.

Politicians and the Parties. Candidates and government officials have the potential to play a major role in reconnecting youth to politics and voting. Many of the focus group respondents complained of candidates ignoring young people. To a significant degree this is true. In order to win, most campaigns maximize their limited financial resources. Current voter turnout rates among young people may discourage campaigns from spending very much money targeting the elusive, youth voter. If voting among young people is going to increase, then campaigns need to start targeting youth voters; and based on our research, young people will respond. Young people want information, but they also want the candidate him or herself to be the one to present the information to them.

Media. The media has the potential to be a very powerful and useful tool in getting young people more actively involved in the democratic process. Our research suggests that youth show a sincere interest in wanting to know how to get involved, but they often do not know where to start. The media could play an integral role in helping them obtain the information that they need to make decisions about civic engagement. Yet, young people are unlikely to respond to slogans or political rhetoric. The messages we tested to motivate youth to vote had only limited appeal. Clearly this problem cannot be resolved in thirty-second sound bites or with one pop culture ad. Including youth voices in politics is the most persuasive way to increase participation and the media could have a key role in that task.

The media should play an active role in trying to produce news stories that highlight the relevance of political issues. News stories should cover what public officials are doing to make a difference in young people's lives and the impact that political decisions have on local interests. More positive stories and biographies might be an effective tool in getting youth more interested in candidates and voting.