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Background

International experience of youth disengagement

Low levels of youth participation in democratic politics are not a uniquely South African phenomenon. Youth 'apathy' is common and increasingly worrying feature of so-called 'mature' democracies. This is typically expressed in low levels of voter turnout among the youth. While voting is only one of the mechanisms through which citizens voice their needs in a democratic system, it is the most basic level of participation. Therefore, it can give us an indication of the levels of political engagement more generally.

A study of youth voter participation conducted in western Europe in the 1990s found that: "Turnout [of registered voters] is usually low amongst the youngest age category (80%), then increases more or less pronouncedly as electors approach middle age, reaches the highest levels of participation amongst people between 60 and 69 years of age (around 93%), and finally decreases slightly to around 90% for the oldest age group".

The same report identifies two alternative explanations for low youth participation in democratic politics: (a) the life-cycle explanation and (b) the generational explanation.

The life-cycle explanation rests on the assumption that participation in politics requires certain social resources, which are only acquired as people grow older. These include:

Familiarity with parties, candidates, political and electoral processes,
Integration in the community;
Political knowledge and skills.

As they acquire these resources, older people are believed to become more attached to parties and to internalise ideologies more deeply. Therefore it is argued that: "If age represents experience, it is therefore not surprising that young, inexperienced citizens have the lowest levels of participation. As they grow older, they become integrated and more experienced, which in turn increases their turnout."

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Fact:

In the past 6 years many Southern African countries has gone thought democratic process of national elections. Angola, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa lately have witnessed a huge number of citizens registering to vote. Youth vote has been at the center of political parties strategies.

Questions:

1. Are youth involved enough in the democratic process in their country?

2. Does youth have freedom of expression?

3. What can be done to make youth aware of their responsibilities in the shaping of the
    future of their own country?