Pushing for Change: Youth and Political Participation Chapter 3 Pushing for Change: Youth and Political Participation Highlights • Youth participation in formal political processes and institutions is declining in most parts of the world except in some of the relatively fledgling democracies, where young people tend to be more optimistic and confident about their ability to make a difference through voting and involvement in formal politics. • The decline in young people’s interest in formal politics does not, however, mean that they now care less about politics. Youth are more engaged with civic and political affairs today than ever before, as can be seen in the rising tide of youth-led protests, political consumerism and single-issue campaigns on all continents. This suggests that young people prefer alternative modes of participation over the more traditional and formal routes. • ICTs have increased youth participation in civic affairs and ‘low politics’. The relationship between access to ICTs and youth participation, however, is not straightforward. Challenges persist of unequal access, unclear causal pathways, superficial nature of impact, and susceptibility to greater government control and policing. • Poor, uneducated youth, rural youth and young women are less engaged in formal and informal politics than other young people. • To enhance young people’s involvement in politics, governments across the world have tried a number of measures including awareness campaigns, compulsory voting, youth quotas, lower age requirements, establishment of youth councils, and citizenship education. Evidence suggests that while citizenship education can improve young people’s personal social development and their participation in more individualised and informal forms of engagement, compulsory voting and youth quotas can partially help address the youth participation deficit in formal politics. \ 67