tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca/topics/young-people-and-politics-12865/articlesYoung people and politics – The Conversation2023-01-05T06:17:58Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1971402023-01-05T06:17:58Z2023-01-05T06:17:58ZPoliticians are getting older – shutting young people out of decision-making around the world<p>US president Joe Biden is clearly frustrated about the focus on his age. In mid-December last year he reportedly vented to allies, saying: “You think I don’t know how fucking old I am?” But, as attention turns to the 2024 election, the prospect of Biden – now 80 years old – <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/06/us/politics/biden-running-president-2024.html">running for another term</a> which would last until he is 86, means that this is an issue that is unlikely to go away. </p>
<p>And rightly so – Biden is the oldest US president in history. Taking into account other prominent US politicians such as Donald Trump (who is 76) and Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer (who is 72), the age of American political leaders has become a hotly debated topic. </p>
<p>But it’s not just a factor in party leadership. In the legislative term 2020-2022, the average member of the US House of Representatives was about 20 years older than the average citizen. In addition, the age of members in the House <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S026137942200110X">have risen for the past four decades</a> (see Figure 1).</p>
<p><strong>Figure 1. Age of members in the US House of Representatives</strong></p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502942/original/file-20230103-90208-3asv4l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Graph showing the changes in the mean and median ages of US representatives" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502942/original/file-20230103-90208-3asv4l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502942/original/file-20230103-90208-3asv4l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502942/original/file-20230103-90208-3asv4l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502942/original/file-20230103-90208-3asv4l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502942/original/file-20230103-90208-3asv4l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502942/original/file-20230103-90208-3asv4l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502942/original/file-20230103-90208-3asv4l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">How US politicians are getting older.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">University of Gothenburg/University of Ottawa</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>Voters seem to think that this is a problem. A September CBS News poll illustrates that <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/elected-officials-maximum-age-limits-opinion-poll-2022-09-08/">Americans voice concern over the lack of youth in politics</a>. Almost 47% state that having more young people in office would make politics better. Moreover, a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-turns-80-americans-ask-whats-too-old-2022-11-11/">Reuters/Ipsos poll taken in November 2022</a> finds that almost nine out of ten Americans support a cutoff of 75 years old for serving as president.</p>
<p>In our new book <a href="https://www.press.umich.edu/11459940">Youth without Representation</a>, we address young adults’ under-representation in parliaments and cabinets. We show that young adults – those aged 35 years or below – tend to be scarce among decision-makers. Globally, people 18 to 35 years face an under-representation in legislatures by a factor of three, relative to their share in the population (their share of the electorate is three times bigger than among legislators), and at a factor of ten in cabinets. </p>
<p>The stylised figure 2 below illustrates this discrepancy. We found these patterns in many democracies including Japan and India as well as in non-democracies such as Egypt.</p>
<p><strong>Figure 2. The underrepresentation of youth in parliaments across the globe.</strong></p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502944/original/file-20230103-70262-n2p7zj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Graph showing age distribution of politicians compared with the population of their countries globally." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502944/original/file-20230103-70262-n2p7zj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502944/original/file-20230103-70262-n2p7zj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=274&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502944/original/file-20230103-70262-n2p7zj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=274&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502944/original/file-20230103-70262-n2p7zj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=274&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502944/original/file-20230103-70262-n2p7zj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=344&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502944/original/file-20230103-70262-n2p7zj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=344&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502944/original/file-20230103-70262-n2p7zj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=344&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Imbalance of ages between politicians and the general public worldwide.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">University of Gothenburg/University of Ottawa</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We interviewed former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark. Her views summarise several aspects of this challenge:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I think the old age of legislators is a problem. We have the world’s largest generation ever of youth. So if decisions are being made by an age cohort that is decades above that and is not attuned to their perspective I think it’s a serious democratic deficit. I used to be of the view that people needed to come in to parliaments with some degree of maturity and background. I actually no longer think that. I think a parliament is a place where young people with fresh perspectives should be. And I think our political system should accommodate that.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Youth issues not on the agenda</h2>
<p>The age discrepancy between leaders and citizens raises essential questions. What explains the under-representation of youth in politics – and how can this situation be changed? </p>
<p>The under-representation of young adults in decision-making can mean that issues important to them fall off the agenda – climate change being the most obvious. And their relative absence can contribute to a vicious cycle of alienation, also including low voter turnout and political interest among youth.</p>
<p>One of the things <a href="https://www.fulcrum.org/epubs/08612r295?locale=en#">we found</a> was that young candidates are less likely to succeed in the electoral process, compared to older candidates. This is partly because they are often nominated in races where they have little chances of winning or are designated to low placements on party lists. But while these disadvantages apply to many parties, there is also variation. Across the more than 270 parties in the 52 countries we analysed, we found that newly created parties have generally younger MPs. But as these parties mature, representatives tend to get older as well. Parties with younger leaders tend to have a younger group in the legislature. </p>
<p>A big barrier for young candidates is their lack of experience. But, with selection processes that favour incumbency, there is, all too often, little space for parliamentary turnover. Moreover, many assemblies around the world have a culture of seniority in which youth struggle to be noticed.</p>
<p>Across the 100 countries we studied, we found effects from rules of minimum age requirements for office. Many countries across the globe <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_candidacy">only allow</a> those above 21, 25 or even 30 years to run (for example the US Senate requires candidates to be at least 30). Not only do these rules hinder youth legally, but also signals who politics is for. We also discovered that countries with proportional representation in their electoral systems, including those in Scandinavia, elect a higher share of young adults.</p>
<p>When looking at cabinets, we find similar patterns. For instance, younger leaders tend to make cabinets younger. We also detect a contagion effect, that is, a young parliament triggers a young cabinet – and this happens regardless of whether cabinet members must be elected MPs or not.</p>
<h2>Encouraging youth</h2>
<p>What can we do to change the situation? Term limits could be a way to break the incumbency advantage and give youth a chance to claim nomination. Setting the age barrier to run for office at 18 would allow youth to run and send a message that they are welcome in politics. At the organisational level, political parties must work to break the culture of seniority – quotas could be an efficient option, if seriously implemented.</p>
<p>Young people will live the longest with the laws we are adopting now. They should be given the chance to be involved in the decision-making process.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/197140/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Aksel Sundström receives funding from the Swedish Research Council. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Daniel Stockemer receives funding from Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p>It’s not just a problem of leadership – ageing politicians tend to dominate around the world.Aksel Sundström, Associate professor, University of GothenburgDaniel Stockemer, Konrad Adenauer Research Chair in Empirical Democracy Studies, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of OttawaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1638912021-08-03T02:00:31Z2021-08-03T02:00:31ZYoung Australians are supposedly ‘turning their backs’ on democracy, but are they any different from older voters?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/414228/original/file-20210803-14-1fqs65z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Joel Carrett/AAP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The 2019 federal election saw the lowest voter turnout since compulsory voting was introduced in 1924. Only 91% of Australians voted, <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/federal-election-2019/voter-turnout-at-record-low-after-young-people-disengage-20190530-p51sol.html">amid reports</a> young people “turned their back on democracy”. </p>
<p>In some seats, less than three-quarters of those entitled to vote cast a legitimate ballot. The biggest falls were in some inner-city electorates with high proportions of young voters. This comes off the back of a decline in electoral participation in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/08/upshot/youth-voting-2020-election.html">advanced democracies</a>, which has been disproportionately concentrated among young people.</p>
<p>Beyond the election, survey research has also suggested young Australians harbour more negative attitudes towards democracy than older people. A 2013 Lowy Institute <a href="https://www.lowyinstitute.org/publications/lowy-institute-poll-2013">poll</a> found 48% of millennials did not believe democracy is superior to its alternatives. </p>
<p>So, are young Australians really turning away from democracy? My <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10361146.2021.1899131">new research</a> cautions against the idea that young Australians are disengaging from the principles and processes of our political system.</p>
<h2>How should we think about youth and politics?</h2>
<p>The idea that young people don’t care about politics is a highly contested one among researchers. There are three ways of thinking about how youth affects political attitudes and behaviours. </p>
<p>The first is young people are not interested in politics because of the “age effect”. There is a large body of literature arguing younger people have different attitudes towards politics than older people because of where they are in their lives. Politics may seem irrelevant because they are less likely to have things like a mortgage or kids. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Young Australians looking at their phones." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/412821/original/file-20210723-19-putr8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/412821/original/file-20210723-19-putr8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412821/original/file-20210723-19-putr8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412821/original/file-20210723-19-putr8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412821/original/file-20210723-19-putr8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412821/original/file-20210723-19-putr8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412821/original/file-20210723-19-putr8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">When we talk about ‘young people’ we need to be careful about what we mean by this.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">James Ross/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The second is young people may have different attitudes due to a “generation effect”. That is, values about democracy do not vary with age rather, values formed during our formative years persist throughout people’s lives. For example, baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1960) — who saw unprecedented material growth from the construction, manufacturing and mining boon in their youth — may be more committed to democracy than the next generations.</p>
<p>The third is what’s known as “period effects”. Political and economic crises are considered contextual factors which shape the political outlook and behaviour of all citizens, irrespective of their age and generational memberships. For example, we may all be shaped by the COVID pandemic, regardless of how old we are. </p>
<p>These three factors — age, cohort and period, respectively — can influence people’s attitude and behaviour simultaneously, making it harder to attribute disengagement to any one factor.</p>
<h2>What’s happening in Australia?</h2>
<p>In Australia, <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2440487">some studies</a> show engagement in democracy is dependent on age — that is, younger people in every generation have almost the same likelihood to be uninterested in their 20s. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10361146.2017.1298718">Other studies</a> have argued for generational explanations: compared to their predecessors, today’s young people are more critical of and more readily express their grievances against politicians. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/millennials-are-not-the-only-burnout-generation-just-ask-the-rest-of-us-147089">Millennials are not the only 'burnout generation' (just ask the rest of us)</a>
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<p>But these conclusions are hasty — as well as marginalising — for two reasons. </p>
<p>First, electoral disengagement does not necessarily mean rejection of democratic values. Young Australians’ overwhelming involvement in single-issue movements, such as the same-sex plebiscite, nation-wide climate and women’s rights protests, proves young people deeply care about politics. They just may not show it in the same way their parents or grandparents do. </p>
<p>Second, weak support for democracy may not be exclusive to young people and may temporarily apply to the entire electorate depending on the time period in question. </p>
<h2>Analysing the data</h2>
<p>Using survey data from the <a href="https://australianelectionstudy.org">Australian Election Study</a> from 2001 to 2019, I tested whether young Australians are any different from older Australians in their commitment to democracy. </p>
<p>Using statistical methods, I isolated “generation” and “age effects”. I then looked at people’s support for democratic principles, as well as their engagement with both offline (traditional) and online democratic processes. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413242/original/file-20210727-21-603qo0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413242/original/file-20210727-21-603qo0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=437&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413242/original/file-20210727-21-603qo0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=437&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413242/original/file-20210727-21-603qo0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=437&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413242/original/file-20210727-21-603qo0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=549&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413242/original/file-20210727-21-603qo0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=549&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413242/original/file-20210727-21-603qo0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=549&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Democratic attitudes and behaviours across age groups.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author/Australian Election Study</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>Defying <a href="https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/the-danger-of-deconsolidation-the-democratic-disconnect/">international trends</a>, my analysis found young Australians are not significantly different from older age groups or older generations in their attitudes towards democratic principles (such as believing in the power of their vote) and offline traditional processes (such as discussing politics and persuading others to vote for a party/candidate and contributing money to a campaign). </p>
<p>When it comes to online processes (such as following a campaign or election on social networking sites), young people are in fact more engaged than their older counterparts. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413243/original/file-20210727-20-1y2hwg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413243/original/file-20210727-20-1y2hwg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=437&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413243/original/file-20210727-20-1y2hwg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=437&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413243/original/file-20210727-20-1y2hwg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=437&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413243/original/file-20210727-20-1y2hwg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=549&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413243/original/file-20210727-20-1y2hwg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=549&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413243/original/file-20210727-20-1y2hwg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=549&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Democratic attitudes and behaviours across generations.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author/Australian Election Study</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>Therefore, reading the 2019 decline in youth electoral turnout as an overall rejection of democracy, is not a satisfactory conclusion.</p>
<p>Among the three ways of thinking about young people and democratic engagement, I found that “period effects” best explain the situation. That is, something has changed in recent years to influence individuals across all ages and cohorts.</p>
<p>Compulsory voting might tie citizens to the Australian political system, but there has also been a significant <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/commentisfree/2019/jul/19/australians-faith-in-politics-has-collapsed-how-can-we-reimagine-democracy">decline in trust</a> in politicians and political parties and a lack of confidence in the government’s capacity to meet people’s concerns. This means Australians are wary of the performance of key political actors and institutions — and may be less enthused about casting their vote. </p>
<h2>Blaming young people won’t work</h2>
<p>Disengagement at election time is by no means a good sign for democracy. Despite an increase in contemporary methods of engaging in democracy, traditional channels continue to be important for translating citizens’ wishes to policies. Brexit is a classic example of what happens when we discard those channels. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/young-people-are-anxious-about-coronavirus-political-leaders-need-to-talk-with-them-not-at-them-135302">Young people are anxious about coronavirus. Political leaders need to talk with them, not at them</a>
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<p>But pointing fingers at any one group — such as young people — will make the issue worse, not better. The blame will further push young people away from traditional forms of participation, which is the case in other advanced democracies. </p>
<p>Rather than criticising young people, it is important to focus on how political institutions are falling short in catering for their needs. The best way to figure this out is to ask them and make room for their voices in key policy-making institutions, including the federal parliament.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/163891/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Intifar Chowdhury does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Young people were blamed for a low voter turnout in 2019. But it’s hasty to conclude they don’t care about democracy.Intifar Chowdhury, PhD Candidate/Data Archivist, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1535362021-01-20T19:06:05Z2021-01-20T19:06:05ZYoung people remain ill-equipped to participate in Australian democracy<p>Despite many young Australians having a deep interest in political issues, most teenagers have a limited understanding about their nation’s democratic system. </p>
<p>Results from the 2019 <a href="https://nap.edu.au/results-and-reports/national-reports#NAP_sample_assessments">National Assessment Program</a> – Civics and Citizenship (NAP-CC) released today show the proportion of young people demonstrating the expected level of knowledge about topics such as democracy and government has not improved since three years ago.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/3-ways-to-help-children-think-critically-about-the-news-131454">3 ways to help children think critically about the news</a>
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<p>Only 38% of year 10 students reached the standard of knowledge on civics and citizenship required for their year level in 2019, the same percentage as in 2016. In year 6, 53% achieved the benchmark, which is down from 55% in 2016.</p>
<p>This has implications for the confidence and preparedness of young people to participate in shaping society now, and into the future.</p>
<h2>What is the civics and citizenship test?</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.nap.edu.au/nap-sample-assessments/civics-and-citizenship">national assessment program</a> on civics and citizenship has been held every three years since 2004. It is administered to a sample of year 6 and year 10 students across Australia. Around 13,250 students sat the assessments in 2019.</p>
<p>The NAP-CC seeks to assess students’ understanding of topics including Australian politics, government, history and the legal system. It also captures students’ knowledge of their rights and responsibilities as citizens.</p>
<p>The NAP-CC aligns with educational aims agreed to by national, state and territory education ministers. </p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.educationcouncil.edu.au/site/DefaultSite/filesystem/documents/Reports%20and%20publications/Alice%20Springs%20(Mparntwe)%20Education%20Declaration.pdf">Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration</a>, established in 2019, has two goals, the second of which is that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>young Australians become confident and creative individuals, successful lifelong learners, and active and informed members of the community.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>What do the latest results show?</h2>
<p>For year 6 students, the <a href="https://www.nap.edu.au/nap-sample-assessments/civics-and-citizenship/proficiency-levels">proficiency standard</a> expects they can demonstrate knowledge of core aspects of Australian democracy. This includes awareness of the connection between fundamental principles (such as fairness) and their manifestation in rules and laws. They should also be able to demonstrate awareness of citizenship rights and responsibilities.</p>
<p>For example, students in year 6 <a href="https://www.nap.edu.au/_resources/National_Assessment_Program_-_civics_and_citizenship_Years_6__10_report_2013.pdf">should be able to identify</a> the role of the prime minister, understand the origins of the Westminster system, and recognise that a vote on a proposed change to the constitution is a referendum.</p>
<p>At year 6, the percentage of students achieving the proficient standard has fallen slightly to 53% from 55% in 2016. This result maintains the established pattern where, since 2004, the percentage of year 6 students meeting the proficient standard has remained within the 50-55% range.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/schools-are-not-adequately-preparing-young-australians-to-participate-in-our-democracy-88131">Schools are not adequately preparing young Australians to participate in our democracy</a>
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<p>To meet the proficiency standards in year 10, students should be able to demonstrate knowledge of specific details of Australian democracy, make connections between the processes and outcomes of civil and civic institutions, and demonstrate awareness of the common good as a potential motivation for civic action. </p>
<p>Only 38% of year 10 students reached the proficient standard in 2019. This is the same as the last testing round in 2016, but well down on the 49% high achieved in 2010.</p>
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<p><iframe id="AwWDR" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/AwWDR/1/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
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<p>The <a href="https://nap.edu.au/results-and-reports/national-reports#NAP_sample_assessments">NAP-CC 2019 results</a> also showed:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>at both year levels, female students outperformed males</p></li>
<li><p>there were large statistically significant differences between the achievements of non-Indigenous and Indigenous students</p></li>
<li><p>students with parents who were senior managers or professionals had significantly higher scores than students with parents who were classified as unskilled labourers, or office, sales or service staff</p></li>
<li><p>the scores of students from metropolitan schools were significantly higher than those of students from regional and remote schools at both year levels</p></li>
<li><p>students who had a parent with a bachelor’s degree or above achieved more than 130 scale points (one proficiency level) higher than students whose parents completed year 10 or year 9 as their highest level of education.</p></li>
</ul>
<hr>
<h2>What we need to do</h2>
<p>Year 10 is the last year of compulsory schooling in Australia. It is also the final year in which the national civics and citizenship curriculum is delivered. </p>
<p>This means year 10 can be the last opportunity for students to learn about their nation’s political system and their responsibilities as citizens. </p>
<p>Previous <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43151-020-00011-7">research has also shown</a> young people would like to consolidate their knowledge about Australia’s democracy before leaving school. </p>
<p>A national civics and citizenship curriculum was developed by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority in 2012-2013. But states retain the constitutional authority over education, which results in variation in how civics and citizenship is taught across jurisdictions.</p>
<p>The latest data suggests now is the time to build on these investments and introduce targeted strategies.</p>
<p>When we <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43151-020-00011-7">spoke to school leavers in 2017</a>, many told us they wanted additional lessons that concentrated on building their understanding of Australian democracy before they left school. In light of the consistently low performance at the year 10 level, it is now the time to capture and respond to the student voice.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/ignoring-young-peoples-climate-change-fears-is-a-recipe-for-anxiety-123357">Ignoring young people's climate change fears is a recipe for anxiety</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>We also need to support teachers. Young Australians have said what they learn at school about civics and citizenship is <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43151-020-00011-7">highly dependent</a> on the preparedness of their teachers. </p>
<p>Teachers who are confident about exploring politics and government in class can have a positive impact on the learning outcomes of their students.</p>
<p>In what is often seen to be a “<a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/too-much-being-taught-tehan-says-national-curriculum-is-overcrowded-20181209-p50l5s.html">crowded curriculum</a>”, teachers confront a range of challenges in delivering civics and citizenship lessons. As a result, there is value in providing opportunities to build their confidence and capacity in this space.</p>
<p>These latest figures show the previous results were no mere aberration and that student performance in civics and citizenship has remained low. The steps we take now will have an impact on Australian democracy for years to come.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/153536/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Zareh Ghazarian is a Chief Investigator on the Monash University led Civics and Citizenship School Implementation and Delivery Report project, which is funded by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jacqueline Laughland-Booy is a Chief Investigator on the Monash University led Civics and Citizenship School Implementation and Delivery Report project, which is funded by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Zlatko Skrbis has previously received research funding from the Australian Research Council. He is also a Chief Investigator on the Monash University led Civics and Citizenship School Implementation and Delivery Report project, which is funded by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. </span></em></p>Only 38% of year 10 students reached the benchmark of knowledge on civics and citizenship required for their year level in 2019.Zareh Ghazarian, Senior Lecturer, School of Social Sciences, Monash UniversityJacqueline Laughland-Booy, Senior Advisor ( Research and Communications), Australian Catholic UniversityZlatko Skrbis, Vice-Chancellor and President, Australian Catholic UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1413712020-07-05T19:50:32Z2020-07-05T19:50:32ZWe live in an age of ‘fake news’. But Australian children are not learning enough about media literacy<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/345232/original/file-20200702-111242-1rhskok.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=17%2C0%2C5892%2C3871&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Today we release the findings from our <a href="https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/1717875/2020_News_and_Young_Australians_v2.pdf">new research</a> into how young Australians consume and think about news media.</p>
<p>Following a summer of bushfires and during the COVID-19 pandemic, young people have told us they consume news regularly. But they also say they can find it frightening and many don’t ask questions about the true source of the information they are getting. </p>
<p>To our surprise, despite widespread concern about “<a href="https://theconversation.com/fake-news-is-poison-for-the-body-politic-can-it-be-stopped-69136">fake news</a>” and a growing body of evidence about the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-battle-against-disinformation-is-global-129212">reach and impact of misinformation</a>, many young people are also not getting formal education about news media at school. </p>
<h2>Our research</h2>
<p>In February and March 2020, we conducted an online survey of young people’s media use and education. We used a nationally representative sample of more than 1,000 young Australians aged between eight and 16 years. </p>
<p>In our results, we refer to two age categories for analysis: children (8 to 12) and teens (13 to 16).</p>
<p>This repeats and extends a similar survey <a href="https://theconversation.com/most-young-australians-cant-identify-fake-news-online-87100">we did in 2017</a>.</p>
<h2>Where do young people get their news?</h2>
<p>To provide a snapshot of news consumption, we asked young Australians where they got news stories from on the previous day.</p>
<p>We found a clear majority of young people do consume news directly from news sources or they hear about it from people they know and trust. </p>
<p>We found 88% had heard about news events from at least one source, up 8% on 2017. Family were by far the most common source. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/345226/original/file-20200702-111298-1dfi4ip.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/345226/original/file-20200702-111298-1dfi4ip.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=921&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345226/original/file-20200702-111298-1dfi4ip.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=921&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345226/original/file-20200702-111298-1dfi4ip.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=921&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345226/original/file-20200702-111298-1dfi4ip.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1157&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345226/original/file-20200702-111298-1dfi4ip.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1157&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345226/original/file-20200702-111298-1dfi4ip.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1157&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="attribution"><span class="source">News and Australian Children in 2020</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>For young people, news is social</h2>
<p>A striking finding is news consumption has become more social - obtained either through someone they know or social media. </p>
<p>The day before the survey, 70% of young people received news from family, teachers or friends (up 13% from 2017), while 29% got their news from social media (up 7%). </p>
<p>As with 2017, the news consumption practices of children and teenagers are quite different. The greatest difference is in their use of online media, including social media, to get news stories. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/social-media-platforms-need-to-do-more-to-stop-junk-food-marketers-targeting-children-140772">Social media platforms need to do more to stop junk food marketers targeting children</a>
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</p>
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<p>While 43% of teens got news from social media the day before the survey, only 15% of children did this. However, the use of social media to get news stories has increased for both age groups when compared with 2017 (it increased 8% for teens and 5% for children).</p>
<p>Young people’s socially orientated news consumption means they will have different experiences and expectations of news media and this may challenge the expectations of older generations. </p>
<p>For example, socially acquired news may not prioritise impartiality or objectivity in the same way traditional news media does. Trust in a source may be developed using different criteria.</p>
<h2>What are young people learning at school?</h2>
<p>To understand what young people are learning about news media, we asked about young people’s critical engagement with news and the opportunities they have been given to create their own stories in the classroom.</p>
<p>Just one in five young Australians said they had a lesson during the past year to help them decide whether news stories are true and can be trusted. This result was the same for both children and teens. While this figure increased by 3% for children, there was a 4% drop for teens when compared with 2017. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/345236/original/file-20200702-111374-158681j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/345236/original/file-20200702-111374-158681j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345236/original/file-20200702-111374-158681j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345236/original/file-20200702-111374-158681j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345236/original/file-20200702-111374-158681j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345236/original/file-20200702-111374-158681j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345236/original/file-20200702-111374-158681j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The majority of surveyed young people said they did not have lessons about fake news in the past year.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">www.shutterstock.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There was also a drop in the number of young people who said they had had lessons to help them create their own news stories. When it came to teens, 26% had these lessons (down 4% on 2017). For younger children, 29% had these lessons (down 8%). </p>
<h2>Information is not being challenged</h2>
<p>This lack of news media literacy education in classrooms is troubling. </p>
<p>The number of young people who agree they know how to tell fake news from real new stories increased only marginally from 2017, moving from 34% to 36%. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/most-young-australians-cant-identify-fake-news-online-87100">Most young Australians can’t identify fake news online</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>This very small increase is surprising, given the considerable amount of attention given to this issue by <a href="https://www.skynews.com.au/details/_6142423186001">politicians</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/feb/07/how-to-stop-spread-of-fake-news-oliver-burkeman">media outlets</a> over the past few years. </p>
<p>Of further concern, our survey finds a large number of young Australians do not challenge the news they consume, even as they get older. </p>
<p>For example, 46% of young people who get news stories from social media, say they give very little or no attention to the source of news stories found online – this result was the same for children and for teens.</p>
<h2>Adults need to talk to kids about news</h2>
<p>When asked how they feel when they consume news media, the majority of young Australians surveyed reported they often or sometimes feel afraid, angry, sad or upset. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/345225/original/file-20200702-111298-1fqllls.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/345225/original/file-20200702-111298-1fqllls.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345225/original/file-20200702-111298-1fqllls.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345225/original/file-20200702-111298-1fqllls.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345225/original/file-20200702-111298-1fqllls.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=530&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345225/original/file-20200702-111298-1fqllls.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=530&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345225/original/file-20200702-111298-1fqllls.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=530&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">News and Australian Children in 2020</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It is possible recent large-scale events such as the summer bushfires and COVID-19 pandemic account for some of these strong responses. </p>
<p>However, they also demonstrate the need for adults to be aware of the impact of news on young people, and to initiate supportive conversations about news. </p>
<p>We also believe these findings suggest media literacy efforts need to take place at home as well as school, with more resources to help parents ensure their children’s news interactions are safe and beneficial. </p>
<h2>Why aren’t students learning more about media?</h2>
<p>It is not fully clear why Australian students are not receiving widespread critical news literacy education. But <a href="https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/1689447/Teaching_Media_Literacy_web_version.pdf">our related research</a> finds that while most teachers believe it’s important to support student’s news media literacy, there are many barriers that prevent them from doing this. </p>
<p>These include timetable constraints, an overloaded curriculum, a lack of time for planning and a lack of appropriate training and support. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-help-kids-navigate-fake-news-and-misinformation-online-79342">How to help kids navigate fake news and misinformation online</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>These barriers must be addressed if teachers are to equip young Australians with the critical skills they need to engage with news media effectively and to discern trustworthy news from disinformation. </p>
<h2>Our findings are not all bad news</h2>
<p>As we noted above, young people reported more engagement with news in 2020 than in 2017, either directly through news media or through friends, family and teachers. </p>
<p>In addition, 49% agree following the news is important to them and 74% say news makes them feel smart or knowledgeable. </p>
<p>Our findings do suggest, however, there is an urgent need for policy makers and education authorities to increase their efforts around young people’s learning about media.</p>
<p>We believe young people should be receiving specific education about the role of news media in our society, bias in the news, disinformation and misinformation, the inclusion of different groups, news media ownership and technology. </p>
<p>Only then will news play a positive role in young people’s lives and continue to do so in the future.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/141371/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tanya Notley receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the Museum of Australian Democracy, the National Association for Media Literacy (NAMLE) in the United States and Google Australia. She is Deputy Chair of the Australian Media Literacy Alliance. The research informing this article is an extension of research supported by Crinkling News in 2017. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Dezuanni receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the National Association for Media Literacy (NAMLE) in the United States, the Museum of Australian Democracy and Google Australia. The research informing this article is an extension of research supported by Crinkling News in 2017. </span></em></p>Young people report consuming news makes them feel smart. But many say they pay little attention to the source of the information they are getting.Tanya Notley, Senior Lecturer in Digital Media, Western Sydney UniversityMichael Dezuanni, Associate professor, Creative Industries Faculty, Queensland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1352802020-04-15T12:13:24Z2020-04-15T12:13:24ZHow to reach young voters when they’re stuck at home<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/326993/original/file-20200409-72664-iwoqu4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6000%2C3997&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Young Minnesota voters cast their ballots on March 3, before the coronavirus outbreak really set in for the U.S.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/young-somalia-americans-cast-their-ballot-during-the-news-photo/1204948098">Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Colleges across the U.S. have sent students home. High schools – and their elementary and middle-school counterparts – have moved operations online. </p>
<p>As scholars of <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=catzoVsAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">young people’s political involvement</a> and activity, we find that this presents a new set of challenges not only for campaigns, but also for democracy.</p>
<p>This election season will be unlike any other. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/2020-campaign-primary-calendar-coronavirus.html">More than a dozen states postponed</a> their Democratic Party primaries. <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/coronavirus-starts-to-scramble-presidential-campaign-2020-03-11">Campaigns canceled all in-person events</a>. </p>
<p>Young voters are important to the continuity of democratic society in the U.S., because voting is a habit: <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/becoming-a-habitual-voter-inertia-resources-and-growth-in-young-adulthood/9EA1F561496D714346491B25B0D52239">Starting early leads to continued voting</a>.</p>
<p>By our analysis, more than 15 million youth are newly eligible to vote in their first presidential election in November – and these first-time voters make up almost one-third of all 18- to 29-year-olds eligible to vote in the fall. They’re not in campaigns’ databases either, especially if they are not yet registered to vote, so the political machines’ get-out-the-vote systems won’t reach them.</p>
<p>At the <a href="http://circle.tufts.edu/">Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement</a>, part of Tufts University’s <a href="https://tischcollege.tufts.edu/">Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life</a>, we’ve spent nearly two decades researching how best to grow, inform and mobilize young potential voters. Our findings reveal several key actions that parties, campaigns, advocacy organizations, educators and journalists can take to help ensure that all young people are prepared and motivated to vote in the 2020 election and beyond:</p>
<h2>1. Look beyond the college campus</h2>
<p>Universities are valuable sites for voter education and engagement, but campaigns’ and other political organizations’ usual focus on campus-based voter outreach has historically left out most young people. At any given time, <a href="https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2017/demo/school-enrollment/2017-cps.html">45% – less than half</a> – of youth ages 18 to 22 are enrolled in college.</p>
<p>With so many students away from their college campuses now, campaigns and organizers will have to diversify their strategies to reach more young people, in or out of the virtual classroom. In the long run, that shift to be <a href="https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/political-outreach-youth-was-effective-2018-midterms">more inclusive of noncollege youth</a> may strengthen democracy as a whole.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327000/original/file-20200409-72664-1r6tkrz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327000/original/file-20200409-72664-1r6tkrz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327000/original/file-20200409-72664-1r6tkrz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327000/original/file-20200409-72664-1r6tkrz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327000/original/file-20200409-72664-1r6tkrz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327000/original/file-20200409-72664-1r6tkrz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327000/original/file-20200409-72664-1r6tkrz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327000/original/file-20200409-72664-1r6tkrz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A high school student learns at home during the coronavirus pandemic, which has closed schools across the country.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Virus-Outbreak-Illinois/55a94206fb914033bf26811767268db0/121/0">AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>2. Discuss elections and voting in at-home learning</h2>
<p>Public schools have a responsibility to prepare their students to participate in democracy. In more than two dozen states, <a href="https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/state-statutes-support-growing-voters">policies or statutes explicitly mandate or recommend</a> that schools facilitate voter registration for their students. That responsibility does not end because students are not physically in school. Millions of high schoolers are now participating in online or at-home learning, which could include content about elections and voting.</p>
<p>Many high school seniors are already old enough to vote – or will be by November. <a href="https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/preregistration-for-young-voters.aspx">More than 20 states</a> allow people to register to vote before their 18th birthdays, if they will be 18 on or before Election Day. Our research on “<a href="https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/growing-voters-engaging-youth-they-reach-voting-age-strengthen-democracy">growing voters</a>” offers ideas for election administrators and nonpartisan community groups to reach diverse groups of young people through high schools, even if students aren’t in classrooms.</p>
<h2>3. Focus on online voter registration</h2>
<p>Registering to vote sooner rather than later is important. It makes voters visible to campaigns that rely on lists of registered voters for outreach. Research shows that contact by a political campaign or group supporting a candidate <a href="http://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/political-outreach-youth-was-effective-2018-midterms">is linked to a higher likelihood to vote</a>.</p>
<p>Online voter registration is <a href="http://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/facilitative-election-laws">a good way to support an increase in voter participation</a> because it can make it easier for young people and other new voters to register. It’s even more vital now that so much must be done remotely.</p>
<p>Currently <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Online_voter_registration">38 states and Washington, D.C.</a>, have online registration, but its availability alone isn’t enough. That’s especially true for young people from low-income backgrounds and marginalized communities. In one CIRCLE study of low-income youth, <a href="http://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/engaging-broader-youth-electorate-10-recommendations-increasing-voter-engagement">we found that only 17% of young people across several states</a> with online registration successfully used it. Many respondents shared that they ran into problems trying to do so or were unaware it was an option. </p>
<p>Local voter-registration groups, as well as state and local election administrators, can invest in widely promoting online voter registration and develop strategies to help young people with the process.</p>
<h2>4. Remember there are many ways to reach youth</h2>
<p>Our polling from the 2018 midterms <a href="https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/youth-engagement-2018-election">highlighted how youth learned about the election</a>: Many did so on social media but also from friends, family and classmates. </p>
<p>As young people interact less in person in the coming weeks and months, campaigns and organizations will need to invest in strategies that take into account who young people are already talking to online – especially those who can serve as trusted sources of information.</p>
<h2>5. Emphasize deeper, sustained digital contact</h2>
<p>Public health recommendations to engage in social distancing and avoid in-person contact will make <a href="https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/so-much-slacktivism-youth-translate-online-engagement-offline-political-action">digital organizing and outreach</a> an even more critical part of the 2020 election cycle. </p>
<p>But the goal should be to make digital contact feel more like personal contact. One-off text messages and social media campaigns can be important, but it’s much more effective to engage youth by building relationships, listening to their priorities, sustaining contact over time and creating opportunities for them to use their skills. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327004/original/file-20200409-17471-1nvwrwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327004/original/file-20200409-17471-1nvwrwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327004/original/file-20200409-17471-1nvwrwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327004/original/file-20200409-17471-1nvwrwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327004/original/file-20200409-17471-1nvwrwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327004/original/file-20200409-17471-1nvwrwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327004/original/file-20200409-17471-1nvwrwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327004/original/file-20200409-17471-1nvwrwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Teenage environmental activist Xiuhtezcatl Martinez speaks at a political rally in California in February 2020.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/environmental-activist-and-hip-hop-artist-xiuhtezcatl-news-photo/1200231879">Ronen Tivony/Echoes Wire/Barcroft Media via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>6. Support young leaders</h2>
<p>Building new connections with young potential voters is always difficult; restrictions on events and in-person canvassing will make it even harder. But youth leaders and organizers, many of whom <a href="https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/gun-violence-prevention-movement-fueled-youth-engagement-2018-election">have spent recent years growing movements related to issues like gun violence</a> and climate change, may already have the experience, skills, networks and trust to effectively approach youth in their communities. Those leaders may be interested in joining electoral outreach efforts.</p>
<h2>7. Strengthen media connections</h2>
<p>During both public health emergencies and election seasons, the media plays a critical role in keeping people informed. Many young people may now <a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2020-03-25/tv-news-audiences-are-surging-thanks-to-coronavirus-pandemic">rely even more on their local media or news broadcast for information</a>. This presents <a href="http://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/impact-local-news-youth-political-engagement">an opportunity for media organizations</a> to think of youth as a critical audience. They could build trust by partnering with young people in order to include their voices through collaborative digital storytelling, projects that share the information a diversity of youth need to participate, or highlighting what diverse youth are already doing to boost engagement. Accurate and actionable election information is especially critical for people new to the voting process.</p>
<h2>8. Pay attention to the issues</h2>
<p>Young people <a href="https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/texans-under-age-40-concerned-about-health-care-believe-effecting-change">care deeply about issues</a> like health care, education, employment, economic justice and racial justice. They are motivated to participate in elections when they see candidates and movements addressing what matters to them and to their communities. Some may be experiencing firsthand, for the first time, how policy decisions play out in ways that drastically shape their lives and the lives of their loved ones. </p>
<p>The coronavirus outbreak and the resulting socioeconomic effects <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/04/coronavirus-exposing-our-racial-divides/609526/">directly connect to many longstanding political issues</a> that matter to youth. For example, <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/03/27/young-workers-likely-to-be-hard-hit-as-covid-19-strikes-a-blow-to-restaurants-and-other-service-sector-jobs/">young people are at higher risk of reduced employment</a> during the pandemic. This presents an opportunity to underscore the importance of youth engagement in the democratic process as a way for them to explicitly influence crucial issues.</p>
<p>[<em>Deep knowledge, daily.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=deepknowledge">Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/135280/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Abby Kiesa is the Director of Impact at CIRCLE, a national research center on youth civic education and engagement at Tufts University's Tisch College of Civic Life. Abby has worked on research projects funded by private foundations including: the Charles F. Kettering Foundation, Youth Engagement Fund, the Democracy Fund, the Spencer Foundation, CloseUp Foundation, Bonner Foundation, Ford Foundation, Corporation for National and Community Service, The Pew Charitable Trusts, S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, and the Omidyar Network. She is affiliated with Rock the Vote's Democracy Class (Advisory Council), DoSomething.org (Civic Engagement Advisory Board), Generation Citizen/Vote16USA (Advisory Board). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg is the Director of CIRCLE. CIRCLE receives funding from private foundations such as the Ford Foundation, Democracy Fund, MacArthur Foundation, McCormick Foundation, and the Youth Engagement Fund to conduct nonpartisan research about youth and Civic Education and Engagement. CIRCLE also receives indirect funding from the National Endowment for Humanities and the Hewlett Foundation through its nonpartisan partner organizations that receive funding directly from these entities.She is affiliated with the Democracy Works and Generation Citizen as a director of national boards and serve as advisory member for the American Bard Association Standing Commission on Public Education, Project
Citizen Z at Education Week, and Project on Information Literacy. She does not receive compensation from these roles. </span></em></p>Young voters are important to the continuity of democracy because voting at a young age leads to continued voting throughout life. This year more than most, they’ll have a hard time getting started.Abby Kiesa, Director of Impact at CIRCLE, Tufts UniversityKei Kawashima-Ginsberg, Director, Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement in the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life, Tufts UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1290582020-02-23T13:13:52Z2020-02-23T13:13:52ZWhat we don’t understand about young people’s motivations<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/316265/original/file-20200219-11040-sgpycg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=30%2C301%2C6589%2C4164&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Young people stand on the steps of the Alberta legislature during the climate strike in Edmonton in 2019. Youth are often seen as problems rather than as people who are creating solutions.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Young people are demanding change. In the last few days, young Indigenous activists and their supporters <a href="https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/b-c-speaker-wins-injunction-preventing-protesters-from-blocking-access-to-legislature-1.4811357">blocked parliamentarians in Victoria, B.C., from accessing the provincial legislature</a> and led waves of protest across the country.</p>
<p>For some young people, <a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/national/indigenous-water-activist-to-speak-at-un-as-part-of-youth-led-climate-movement">climate change</a> is urgent. For others, <a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/story/black-teens-have-been-fighting-for-gun-reform-for-years">gun violence</a> is a crisis. From <a href="http://formersite.nationnewsarchives.ca/young-cree-activist-becoming-quebec-media-star/">truth and reconciliation</a> to <a href="http://www.mcgilltribune.com/climate-justice-is-racial-justice/">inclusion and diversity</a> and <a href="https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/m7qv9v/activism-mental-health-crisis-northern-ireland-pure-mental">mental health</a>, young people are bringing awareness to societal crises and making headlines along the way. </p>
<p>Historically, this is really nothing new. <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2018/03/youth-activism-young-protesters-historic-movements/">Young people have long been leaders and catalysts of important movements</a>. Unfortunately, these change-makers are often thought to be outside of what is considered typical of this age group. </p>
<p>Young people are often labelled problematic, <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/05/teenagers-are-hard-wired-to-be-selfish-say-scientists/">selfish</a> or not yet ready <a href="https://bigbrothersbigsisters.ca/canadians-want-youth-engaged-dont-think-theyre-prepared-civic-leaders/">to lead</a>. This negative view of young people aligns with the multitude of research studies that frame their questions within a <a href="https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095707115">deficit model</a>. </p>
<p>In a deficit model, the standard for healthy development is <a href="https://dl.uswr.ac.ir/bitstream/Hannan/132211/1/2004%20-%20Handbook%20of%20adolescent%20psychology.pdf#page=796">preventing behavioural or emotional problems.</a> In both cases, there is a failure to acknowledge youth’s capacity or motivation to contribute to something larger. Underestimating youth is a mistake. Of course it is important to acknowledge and study the risks and barriers faced by this age group, but if we do not balance this view with understanding their capacities and contribution, it can lead to some faulty assumptions.</p>
<h2>What youth can do</h2>
<p>In our Community and Youth (CandY) research lab, we use a positive psychology approach. As such, we examine the positive motivations and capacities of youth. We are especially interested in the role young people play in improving our society, as well as the role communities can play to offer young people contexts that allow them to thrive. </p>
<p>Our research is rooted in the psychosocial model of <a href="https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393310689">Erik Erikson</a> developed in the 1950s and 1960s. When boiled down to its simplest form, Erikson’s theory states that we all face a series of crises across our lifespan. How we resolve these crises helps determine our developmental success. </p>
<p>For example, in adolescence we face the crisis of identity versus identity diffusion; in midlife we face generativity versus stagnation. That is, when we’re young, we’re trying to figure out who we are and what matters to us, and as we age, we become more concerned with what we’re leaving behind. </p>
<p>Generativity — defined as concern for future generations as a legacy of the self — is <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9780429469572/chapters/10.4324/9780429469572-13">well-studied</a>. Most studies on generativity only consider people in middle age, even though there is evidence to suggest that this concern for the future and one’s own legacy is important earlier in the lifespan. </p>
<p>In fact, young people do share a concern for the future and their contribution to it. Our research shows that young people between the ages of 14 and 29 show levels of generative motivation that are as <a href="https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/976134/1/NR42545.pdf">high or even higher than adults</a>. Early generativity is also associated with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-012-9888-y">caring friendships</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12120">community</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000034">involvement</a> and healthy <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15283488.2019.1697271">identity development</a> in adolescence and young adulthood. So not only are young people interested and capable of caring for future generations, but doing so is likely good for them.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xqdE_7OZaqE?wmode=transparent&start=166" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Autumn Peltier, a young water defender from Wikwemikong First Nation, is an advocate for climate change policy.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Beyond the research, <a href="https://aphadolie.com/2017/10/26/canada-autumn-peltier-la-gardienne-de-leau-videos/comment-page-1/">Autumn Peltier</a>, a young activist advocating for clean water, has said, “We are the keepers of the generations yet to come.” She leaves little room for doubt that young people can be motivated by generativity.</p>
<h2>Changing how we work with youth</h2>
<p>Our team has seen first hand the generativity of youth at the <a href="https://www.studentscommission.ca/en">Students Commission of Canada (SCC)</a>, a not-for-profit organization that is working towards a world “where all young people transition successfully into adulthood.” </p>
<p>At their <a href="https://www.studentscommission.ca/en/events">“Canada We Want” conferences</a>, we have witnessed early generativity in action. Young people from across Canada with a diversity of experience, expertise and identities work together to develop a plan to create the change that they want to see in their community, tackling issues such as poverty, employment, prejudice and substance abuse. This <a href="https://www.studentscommission.ca/assets/pdf/Canada_we_want-theme_reports.pdf">work is then presented to politicians, policy-makers and other leaders</a> and has helped inform <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/youth/programs/policy.html">Canada’s first national youth policy</a>. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"970711001783037952"}"></div></p>
<p><a href="https://www.tigweb.org">Taking IT Global</a> is another organization that capitalizes on young people’s generativity. It works to “empower young people to become agents of positive change in their local and global communities.” It has given out more than 2,500 grants to youth, and also provides education and online resources for adults. The grants have helped youth educate boys about mental health, and prompted a <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct03dg">$15-million cleanup</a> of a river in Nova Scotia. </p>
<p>So how can we incorporate these ideas in our everyday interactions with young people? Whether we are parents, teachers, coaches or community leaders, it is worth reflecting on whether our assumptions of youth stem solely from a deficit model, or whether we account for the capacities and motivations of young people. Rather than focusing on what they lack, much more focus can be placed on their capacity and desire to have a positive and lasting impact. At the same time that we are asking young people who they want to be, we should be asking young people what kind of world they want to leave behind.</p>
<p>Greater awareness of the importance of generativity in youth will contribute to a more pervasive narrative of young people as capable, and motivated to contribute, thus combating some useless and inaccurate stereotypes about youth.</p>
<p>So the next time you see a young person in the news, or in your community, making the world a bit better for the next generation, you might smile to yourself and think, “Typical.”</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/129058/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Heather Lawford is Co-Director of Research for the Centre of Excellence in Youth Engagement at the Students Commission of Canada. She receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Heather Ramey is Co-Director of Research for the Centre of Excellence in Youth Engagement at the Students Commission of Canada. She receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).</span></em></p>Young people are often seen as lacking but research shows they’re motivated by their concern for future generations.Heather Lawford, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Bishop's UniversityHeather L. Ramey, Adjunct Professor, Child & Youth Studies, Brock UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1237042019-09-19T14:46:49Z2019-09-19T14:46:49ZClimate change: children are carving out a place in politics – now adults must listen and act<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/293230/original/file-20190919-22441-10cbh26.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=21%2C155%2C4695%2C2991&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/15th-march-2019-london-uk-thousands-1339618181?src=0IdwWd82Q9O8GwFiArjxfw-1-7">Andrius Kaziliunas/Shutterstock.</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>There’s no doubt that young people today are driving action on climate change. The <a href="https://www.fridaysforfuture.org/">#FridaysforFuture</a> school strikes are arguably the most dedicated and sustained direct action in a generation. School pupils have kicked off an international movement committed to addressing the injustices, mass extinctions and environmental damage caused by climate change – while also building global networks, speaking out in public and holding the adults around them to account. </p>
<p>As more adults and institutions <a href="https://www.campaigncc.org/climate_strike_20_september">join the protests</a>, it seems the agency of these young people is finally being recognised. But conversations about climate change still appeal to authorities for answers – whether calling for politicians to act, or for people to listen to scientists. </p>
<p>Of course, listening to experts and holding politicians to account is an important part of what climate activists need to achieve. But it’s not the only part. As the schools strikes continue to gain momentum, it’s time to think about how young people can be meaningfully involved in shaping the future of our planet. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, there are still significant barriers preventing children from making their voices heard in democratic societies – not least the way they are represented in the media. As academics interested in children in politics and culture, we’re exploring these issues as part of a project called <a href="https://www2.mmu.ac.uk/artshumanities/rah/news/story/?id=10645">Europe and the Child - Crisis, Activism, Culture</a>. So far, we’ve found that cultural images of children involved in activism reveal adult desires and anxieties, rather than providing real empowerment. </p>
<h2>Are you listening?</h2>
<p>Swedish activist Greta Thunberg captured the world’s attention when she was invited to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFkQSGyeCWg">address world leaders</a> at the UN conference on climate change in December 2018, at just 15 years of age. Since then, her school strikes have become a global phenomenon. Through international media coverage and meetings with high-profile political figures, Thunberg has brought the climate emergency into view, right at the heart of political power in the West. </p>
<p>Thunberg has explained that her actions were inspired by by the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/feb/11/parkland-student-activists-march-for-our-lives-year-later-2019">Parkland students’ protests against gun violence</a>, while the school strike model builds on the walkouts and sit-ins <a href="http://www.ushistory.org/us/54d.asp">by African-American students</a> during the civil rights era. </p>
<p>Thunberg is not the first young person to address the UN climate conference. <a href="https://www.kathyjetnilkijiner.com/author-bio/">Kathy Jenil-Kijiner</a>, a Marshall Islands poet and activist, has called for urgent action as rising sea levels threaten her home, as has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/apr/01/yeb-sano-typhoon-haiyan-un-climate-talks">young diplomat Yeb Sano</a> from the Philippines. Global climate injustice cannot be fully understood without listening to, and empowering, young people from around the world. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/293229/original/file-20190919-22441-qp2pvm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/293229/original/file-20190919-22441-qp2pvm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293229/original/file-20190919-22441-qp2pvm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293229/original/file-20190919-22441-qp2pvm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293229/original/file-20190919-22441-qp2pvm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293229/original/file-20190919-22441-qp2pvm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293229/original/file-20190919-22441-qp2pvm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Thunberg at a school strike in Washington, DC.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/washington-dc-usa-september-13-2019-1506895724?src=oEuoV4eoZnL0HaErtGOLRw-1-0">Aschwaphoto/Shutterstock.</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Thunberg’s role as spokesperson for the younger generation is fraught with difficulties. As a child herself, Thunberg has insisted that the blame for the current climate emergency – and the responsibility for fixing it –lies with older generations. Yet adults and establishment figures have repeatedly sought to position her either as a prophet and a child saviour, or as a naive puppet of interested parties. </p>
<p>For example, writer and activist Naomi Klein <a href="https://truthout.org/video/naomi-klein-greta-thunberg-is-a-prophetic-voice-in-fight-for-climate-justice/">praised Thunberg for her moral clarity</a>, arguing that she is one of the youth voices that has “burst through the bureaucratic language with which we shield ourselves from the reality of the stakes, the extraordinary stakes of our moment in history”, and that young people have <a href="https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/oureconomy/naomi-klein-moral-crisis-inextricable-ecological-crisis/">found a sense of agency</a> in Thunberg’s school strikes, and her insistence that no one is too small to make a difference. </p>
<p>Conversely, Thunberg has also been subjected to a series of attacks from <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/aug/15/arron-banks-jokes-about-greta-thunberg-and-freak-yachting-accidents">right-wing establishment figures</a> and climate deniers, doubting her sincerity and ridiculing her appearance and her way of speaking, with reference to <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-02/thunberg-hits-back-after-being-called-deeply-disturbed/11376724">her Asperger’s diagnosis</a>. Some of those criticisms have also been levelled at the school strikes movement, with <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-49291464">politicians calling</a> young participants “truants” and “puppets”. </p>
<h2>A story of empowerment</h2>
<p>Beyond the media coverage, there has also been a surge in fiction and non-fiction books published about the climate crisis for young people. Some publishers have called this <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/11/greta-thunberg-leads-to-boom-in-books-aimed-at-empowering-children-to-save-planet">“the Greta effect”</a>, though the environment has been a concern in children’s literature since at least the 1970s, exemplified by <a href="https://clpe.org.uk/corebooks/dinosaurs-and-all-rubbish">Dinosaurs and all that Rubbish</a> by Michael Foreman. </p>
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<em>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/childrens-books-can-do-more-to-inspire-the-new-generation-of-earth-warriors-97580">Children's books can do more to inspire the new generation of Earth warriors</a>
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<p>In contrast to that classic parable – which seeks to educate its readers – recent books including Lily Dyu’s <a href="https://nosycrow.com/product/earth-heroes/">Earth Heroes</a> and Martin Dorey’s <a href="http://www.walker.co.uk/Kids-Fight-Plastic-9781406390650.aspx">Kids Fight Plastic</a> present children as saviours of the planet. </p>
<p>It’s positive that books by adults <a href="https://theconversation.com/childrens-books-can-do-more-to-inspire-the-new-generation-of-earth-warriors-97580">are recognising</a> the agency of young people and seeking to empower them further. But this rhetoric also burdens young people with the responsibility for change, while political institutions afford them little power. </p>
<p>It’s not enough to put children on the covers of newspapers and call them “heroes”. It’s not even enough to listen to the concerns they’re raising through the global strikes for climate action. Adults in positions of authority need to give young people the means to change the world and create their own visions for the future. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/290123/original/file-20190829-106524-1w6rzla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/290123/original/file-20190829-106524-1w6rzla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/290123/original/file-20190829-106524-1w6rzla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/290123/original/file-20190829-106524-1w6rzla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/290123/original/file-20190829-106524-1w6rzla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=560&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/290123/original/file-20190829-106524-1w6rzla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=560&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/290123/original/file-20190829-106524-1w6rzla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=560&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><strong><em>This article is part of <a href="https://www.cjr.org/covering_climate_now/covering-climate-partnerships.php/">The Covering Climate Now</a> series</em></strong>
<br><em>This is a concerted effort among news organisations to put the climate crisis at the forefront of our coverage. This article is published under a Creative Commons license and can be reproduced for free – just hit the “Republish this article” button on the page to copy the full HTML coding. The Conversation also runs Imagine, a newsletter in which academics explore how the world can rise to the challenge of climate change. <a href="https://theconversation.com/imagine-newsletter-researchers-think-of-a-world-with-climate-action-113443?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=CoveringClimateNow">Sign up here</a></em>.</p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/123704/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>From media coverage to story books, children are consistently represented as prophets or puppets in the midst of climate emergency. It’s time for that to change.Eleanor Byrne, Senior Lecturer in English, Manchester Metropolitan UniversityBenjamin Bowman, Lecturer, Manchester Metropolitan UniversityChloe Germaine Buckley, Senior Lecturer in English, Manchester Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1136862019-04-03T08:56:39Z2019-04-03T08:56:39ZStudy shows how school textbooks in Germany and England present Europe in entirely different ways<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265827/original/file-20190326-36279-15tj4a3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>When it comes to views about Europe, it’s well known that Germany and England differ sharply. <a href="https://www.pewglobal.org/2017/06/15/post-brexit-europeans-more-favorable-toward-eu/">Research</a> after the Brexit vote shows that 68% of Germans are in favour of the European Union and only 11% would support withdrawal. Compare this with 54% of UK respondents who are favourable to the EU.</p>
<p>Similarly, during the 2017 general election campaign in Germany, <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/united-states-of-europe-germans-french-most-in-favor-poll/">nearly one third of Germans</a> backed politician Martin Schulz’s idea for a “United States of Europe” by 2025. The corresponding figure for Britain was just 10%. And it seems these differences might run as deep as the way children are taught about Europe in school – as the findings of our <a href="https://www.york.ac.uk/education/research/cresj/news/2019/research-education-eu/">latest research</a> indicate. </p>
<p>We analysed the treatment of the European Union in a sample of social studies and politics textbooks from both Germany and England. And we found that the way Europe is depicted in some English and German textbooks for secondary schools differs considerably. In English books there is less coverage of Europe and a more critical approach compared with the German textbooks. </p>
<p>In the English textbooks, Europe was seen almost exclusively in political terms – with strong emphasis on the EU being a controversial issue. In one book for example, although there are references to the <a href="https://www.echr.coe.int/Documents/Convention_ENG.pdf">European Convention on Human Rights </a> along with the European court and a brief mention of the European Economic Area, most of the limited space given to Europe is about the European Union – and about “different viewpoints on EU membership”. </p>
<p>In the German books there was a very different approach: Europe is seen more expansively and positively with an integrated approach to politics and identity. The German textbooks also had references to Europe being “our historical, cultural and intellectual home”, a “community of values”, and, a place where “enemies became friends”.</p>
<h2>The research</h2>
<p>We looked at four English textbooks and nine German textbooks and compared the way Europe was covered. Overall we found that the textbooks from Germany deal with Europe in much greater detail and with more of a positive angle than those published in England. </p>
<p>We found that Europe not only receives more prominence in German textbooks but is covered with more breadth. Both sets of textbooks place a major focus on the political system of the EU but German books also include economic and cultural dimensions. And a number of German textbooks had separate chapters or sections on the political system of the EU and Europe as a cultural entity. Unlike the English books, some German materials also presented clear anticipated loyalties to Europe. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265828/original/file-20190326-36260-1v8arth.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265828/original/file-20190326-36260-1v8arth.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265828/original/file-20190326-36260-1v8arth.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265828/original/file-20190326-36260-1v8arth.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265828/original/file-20190326-36260-1v8arth.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265828/original/file-20190326-36260-1v8arth.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265828/original/file-20190326-36260-1v8arth.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Schoolchildren across Europe are taught different things about the EU.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<p>The project was informed by previous research, particularly, work undertaken by one of the project team which involved interviewing 2,000 young people <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/8/3/70/htm">across 29 European countries</a>. The project aimed to find out how young people in Europe construct their political identities – which we found often transcend traditional boundaries of state and nation. </p>
<p>But we found that although both the English textbooks and German textbooks largely reflect the prevailing political climate in each country, they don’t necessarily reflect the views of young people. Young people in Germany and England <a href="https://dbk.gesis.org/dbksearch/gdesc2.asp?no=0008">share rather similar views</a> <a href="http://www.palgrave.com/la/book/9783319908748">about Europe</a>. They are committed to certain values (which are seen as both general and European) and although young people are not just accepting of European identity and European loyalty without questions, there is, among both groups – but particularly the Germans – a sense of being European. This is not reflected in English textbooks. </p>
<h2>Young voices</h2>
<p>The range of activities in the German books is also far wider than those provided in the English books. Whereas the German books build on a sense of European identity by providing opportunities for varied student interaction including more work than the English books on advocacy, representation and informed and responsible action.</p>
<p>By contrast, the English books use brief individual reading exercises to consider the pros and cons of European membership. One book for example provides a list of “benefits and costs of EU membership” and then asks students to “design slides or charts to summarise the benefits and costs of EU membership”. The English texts also encouraged students to visit the websites of UK political parties for news on their position on EU membership.</p>
<p>This echos the political context in England, where the debate about Europe is not one concerned with dynamic engagement but one associated with an equally balanced weighing up of pros and cons of membership. And in this way, we found that the nature of the educational activities that are available to teachers and students in our sample of textbooks tends to reflect national narratives. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265834/original/file-20190326-36270-3i6vt2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265834/original/file-20190326-36270-3i6vt2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265834/original/file-20190326-36270-3i6vt2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265834/original/file-20190326-36270-3i6vt2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265834/original/file-20190326-36270-3i6vt2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265834/original/file-20190326-36270-3i6vt2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265834/original/file-20190326-36270-3i6vt2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Many young people have taken part in anti-Brexit marches up and down the country.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<p>Education in both countries is principally a matter of socialising young people into an established national narrative. This may seem to be easier to justify in Germany where there is a stronger alignment between the views of young people and (according to our textbook analysis) the content of learning resources. But in both countries there are issues about the extent to which schools are the mirror of society and essentially engaged with promoting established views. </p>
<p>It seems then that in both countries, the most contentious issue of the 21st-century – the European Union – is simply being presented as a reflection of the existing national narrative for future generations.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/113686/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alistair Ross is a member of the Labour Party. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Beatrice Szczepek Reed, Eleanor Brown, Geraldine Bengsch, and Ian Davies do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>School textbooks from Germany deal with Europe in much greater detail and with more of a positive angle than those published in England.Ian Davies, Professor in the Department of Education, University of YorkAlistair Ross, Emeritus Professor in the Institute for Policy Studies in Education, London Metropolitan UniversityBeatrice Szczepek Reed, Professor of Language Education, King's College LondonEleanor Brown, Lecturer in the Department of Education, University of YorkGeraldine Bengsch, German Tutor, University of YorkLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1042512019-03-26T17:58:42Z2019-03-26T17:58:42ZShould Australia lower the voting age to 16? We asked five experts<p>Voting is a key part of the democratic process. It allows all citizens of a certain age to have a say on matters important to them. Voting in federal elections and referendums is compulsory for every Australian aged 18 and over. </p>
<p>But decisions made by elected governments – especially in areas such as education, health and energy – impact young people too. Legal and political voices <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/voting-age-should-be-lowered-to-16-law-expert-argues-20180711-p4zqvx.html">have long called</a> for Australia to lower the voting age to 16. After all, people under 18 can leave school, get a job, drive a car and pay taxes. So why not vote? </p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Electoral_Matters/VotingAge">parliamentary inquiry</a> is currently looking into the issue. In the meantime, we asked five experts their views. Here’s what they said.</p>
<h2>Five out of five experts said yes</h2>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265798/original/file-20190326-36256-f4yfzm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265798/original/file-20190326-36256-f4yfzm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265798/original/file-20190326-36256-f4yfzm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=99&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265798/original/file-20190326-36256-f4yfzm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=99&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265798/original/file-20190326-36256-f4yfzm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=99&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265798/original/file-20190326-36256-f4yfzm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=125&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265798/original/file-20190326-36256-f4yfzm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=125&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265798/original/file-20190326-36256-f4yfzm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=125&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<p><strong><em>Here are their detailed responses:</em></strong></p>
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<p><em>If you have a “<strong>yes or no</strong>” education question you’d like posed to Five Experts, email your suggestion to: sasha.petrova@theconversation.edu.au</em></p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/210303/original/file-20180314-113452-h7un11.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/210303/original/file-20180314-113452-h7un11.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/210303/original/file-20180314-113452-h7un11.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/210303/original/file-20180314-113452-h7un11.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/210303/original/file-20180314-113452-h7un11.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/210303/original/file-20180314-113452-h7un11.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/210303/original/file-20180314-113452-h7un11.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em>Disclosures: Louise Phillips has received competitively awarded funding from The Spencer Foundation, and the Queensland Department of Education, and is a current member of the Early Childhood Australia and the Australian Association for Research in Education.</em></p>
<p><em>Philippa Collin has received funding from a range of government and quasi-government agencies (NHMRC, Australian Research Council, Department for Industry and Innovation, Western Australian Children’s Commissioner, UNICEF) as well as industry (Google, Navitas English) and non-profits (Multicultural Youth Affairs Network NSW and the Foundation for Young Australians). She is a member of the Technology and Well-being Roundtable and the Australian NGO Child Rights Task Force and an expert advisor to the Raising Children Network.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/104251/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
People under 18 can leave school, get a job, drive a car and pay taxes. Should they be allowed to vote too?Sasha Petrova, Section Editor: EducationLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1135302019-03-14T12:16:35Z2019-03-14T12:16:35ZClimate change: a climate scientist answers questions from teenagers<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263890/original/file-20190314-28471-t0r1rf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Students out in force. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/leeds-uk-15-feb-2019-placard-1313909480">Kevin J. Frost.</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Pupils from around the world are going on strike from school to demand urgent action from the world’s leaders on climate change. Here, a scientist answers teenagers’ questions about climate change, gathered by the <a href="http://climate.leeds.ac.uk">Priestley International Centre for Climate</a> at a previous strike in February. You can find more Q&As like this on the <a href="http://climate.leeds.ac.uk/is-it-too-late-young-climate-strikers-questions-answered/">centre’s website</a>. If you’re a teen, you can have your questions about the world answered by academic experts – find out how at the end of this article.</em></p>
<h2>How long is the planet going to last? I heard it was 12 years…</h2>
<p>The “12 years” date you’ve heard comes from a special report requested by the United Nations, which looks at the impacts of <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/">global warming at 1.5°C</a> above pre-industrial levels. At the moment, the world is <a href="https://report.ipcc.ch/sr15/pdf/sr15_headline_statements.pdf">1°C warmer</a> than in the late 19th century: the <a href="https://www.climate-lab-book.ac.uk/2016/global-temperature-changes-since-1850/">earliest period</a> for which we have reliable temperature measurements and just before the Industrial Revolution got into full swing. </p>
<p>To avoid global warming above 1.5°C, humanity needs to cut its carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions to about half of today’s levels by 2030, and to zero by 2050. The 2030 date – 12 years from when the report was released in October, 2018 – got a lot of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/08/global-warming-must-not-exceed-15c-warns-landmark-un-report">media attention</a>.</p>
<p>Missing the 2030 deadline would make it very difficult to keep global warming under 1.5°C. That temperature is not necessarily safe, but the damage caused by climate change will quickly get worse with higher levels of warming. </p>
<p>At today’s 1°C of warming, there have already been increases in <a href="https://www.theccc.org.uk/tackling-climate-change/preparing-for-climate-change/uk-climate-change-risk-assessment-2017/">extreme weather events</a> (such as heat waves and flooding), as well as <a href="https://www.theclimatecoalition.org/recipefordisaster">food shortages</a> and <a href="https://medium.com/university-of-leeds/is-climate-change-endangering-britains-national-dishes-81c12af46592">effects on food production</a>. Entire species are <a href="https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/06/first-mammal-extinct-climate-change-bramble-cay-melomys/">already going extinct</a>, for reasons related to climate change.</p>
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<p>At 2°C of warming or above, rising sea levels, more frequent extreme weather and damaging effects on food and water supplies will make some parts of the world very hard to live in. As a result, it’s predicted that many people will need to leave their homes and become <a href="https://www.unhcr.org/climate-change-and-disasters.html">climate refugees</a>, while many millions more people worldwide will be exposed to poverty. What’s more, many species will be lost and virtually all corals will die. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, we are not on track to keep warming below 1.5°C, or even 2°C. If countries hit their existing targets, <a href="https://climateactiontracker.org/global/temperatures/">temperatures will rise by around 3°C</a> – or more than that, if emissions continue to grow.</p>
<p>The planet itself will survive man-made climate change. In fact, it has been warmer, <a href="https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/global-warming/early-eocene-period">millions of years ago</a>, although the world looked very different back then. Humans are not expected to go extinct – but we will have to learn to cope with a warmer world, and all its challenges. This means cooperating and providing support and resources to vulnerable people.</p>
<h2>What would be the most effective policy to end climate change?</h2>
<p>No single policy will end climate change, but a very effective strategy would be to quickly <a href="https://theconversation.com/immediate-phase-out-of-fossil-fuels-could-keep-warming-below-1-5-c-109672">phase out fossil fuels</a> such as coal and petrol, which are used to create electricity and power transport. There are <a href="https://www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/CCC-2018-Progress-Report-Infographic-with-logo.jpg">many different ways</a> to achieve this goal, and it’s important that leaders choose policies that create good jobs and strengthen communities. </p>
<p>For example, governments need to put money towards safe, reliable, efficient and affordable trains and buses, so people can get around without using cars. Towns and cities should be designed to be more friendly to walking, cycling and public transport. <a href="https://www.theccc.org.uk/2019/02/21/uk-homes-unfit-for-the-challenges-of-climate-change-ccc-says/">Homes</a> should have good transport links, and be built or modified to be more energy efficient, so that they’re easier to keep cool in the summer and warm in the winter. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263893/original/file-20190314-28512-14z86lh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263893/original/file-20190314-28512-14z86lh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=285&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263893/original/file-20190314-28512-14z86lh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=285&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263893/original/file-20190314-28512-14z86lh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=285&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263893/original/file-20190314-28512-14z86lh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263893/original/file-20190314-28512-14z86lh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263893/original/file-20190314-28512-14z86lh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Emissions from air travel are taking off.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/airplane-departure-553331545">Shutterstock.</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>International air travel is also responsible for a <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/aviation-consume-quarter-carbon-budget">growing share of global emissions</a> and governments around the world need to work together to come up with a response. </p>
<p>Farming – especially meat and dairy production – also creates a surprisingly <a href="https://theconversation.com/meat-is-a-complex-health-issue-but-a-simple-climate-one-the-world-needs-to-eat-less-of-it-44006">large amount of emissions</a>. So, governments should encourage farmers to use <a href="https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/approaches-to-food-and-farming-sustainability-8b0e6019a879">sustainable approaches</a>. Agriculture can also lead to deforestation. Since trees <a href="https://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/infd-869ga8">remove carbon dioxide</a> from the atmosphere, forests must be protected, and new trees planted.</p>
<h2>What’s the single best thing I could do in my life to help the climate?</h2>
<p>First, you can find out what your environmental footprint is using this <a href="https://footprint.wwf.org.uk">questionnaire</a> from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The survey gives advice to help you and your family reduce your impact. Research <a href="https://phys.org/news/2017-07-effective-individual-tackle-climate-discussed.html">has also highlighted</a> the biggest changes a person can make to help the climate. They are: </p>
<ol>
<li>Fly less. </li>
<li>If you are old enough to drive, challenge yourself to live without a car, or to car-share with family and friends. </li>
<li>Switching to a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/31/avoiding-meat-and-dairy-is-single-biggest-way-to-reduce-your-impact-on-earth">vegetarian or vegan diet</a> can reduce your footprint (although it might be better to <a href="https://lovefoodhatewaste.com/">avoid food waste</a> than to stick to a strict diet). </li>
<li>It’s controversial, but true: in wealthier countries, having one less child makes the <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aa7541#erlaa7541f1">biggest impact of all</a>.</li>
</ol>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263895/original/file-20190314-28483-mchd78.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263895/original/file-20190314-28483-mchd78.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263895/original/file-20190314-28483-mchd78.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263895/original/file-20190314-28483-mchd78.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263895/original/file-20190314-28483-mchd78.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263895/original/file-20190314-28483-mchd78.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263895/original/file-20190314-28483-mchd78.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Reduce, reuse, recycle.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-happy-women-doing-shopping-weekly-565912315">Shutterstock.</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Smaller actions in your daily life can also help. Turning down the heating or air conditioning at home and only heating or cooling the rooms you’re using will save money and reduce carbon emissions. Try to buy less clothing, plastics and gadgets, since it takes resources and energy to make these items. </p>
<p>Make, borrow, swap, buy secondhand or <a href="https://freecycle.org/">find things for free</a>, and recycle as much as possible that can’t be reused. When you’re old enough, you can also choose to put your money in an ethical bank account, and get electricity from 100% renewables.</p>
<p>Individual changes <a href="https://lili.leeds.ac.uk/news/an-audacious-toolkit-actions-against-climate-breakdown-part-3-i-is-for-individual/">will only go so far</a>, but remember that your actions can inspire others. Use your voice! Talking about climate change with your friends, family and classmates really helps to raise awareness and drive further action.</p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/113530/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chris Smith does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>What’s the best thing I can do to help the climate? How long is the planet going to last? These questions and more answered by a climate scientist.Chris Smith, Research Fellow in Physical Climate Change, University of LeedsLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1065052018-11-08T11:42:04Z2018-11-08T11:42:04ZThe other 2018 midterm wave: A historic 10-point jump in turnout among young people<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/244454/original/file-20181107-74772-1lupvle.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Nine months after Parkland, students like David Hogg have joined the youth voter wave.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Election-2018-Parkland-Voters/d9284b7a5b094ea9a49a79f62638f123/1/0">AP Photo/John Raoux</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Voter turnout among 18 to 29-year-olds in the 2018 midterm elections was <a href="https://civicyouth.org/young-people-dramatically-increase-their-turnout-31-percent-shape-2018-midterm-elections/">31 percent</a>, according to a preliminary estimate by <a href="https://civicyouth.org/about-circle/">The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement</a> at Tufts University.</p>
<p>That’s the highest youth turnout my colleagues and I have observed since we started collecting data in 1994. It’s also <a href="https://civicyouth.org/quick-facts/2018-election-center/">a major increase</a> from turnout in the 2014 midterms, which was 21 percent.</p>
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<p>Young people showed decisive support for liberal candidates and ideas. About 67 percent of young people supported Democratic House candidates, compared to just 32 percent for Republican candidates. This 35-point gap is even larger than their preference toward Democrats in 2008, when President Barack Obama was first elected. </p>
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<p>This preference no doubt helped some Democratic candidates in states such as Wisconsin, Montana and Nevada. </p>
<p>For example, Senator Jon Tester of Montana won his reelection by a narrow margin of less than 6,000 votes. Young Montanans, by favoring him by 67 percent to 28 percent, gave him a relative vote advantage of over 25,000 votes. If young Montanans voted like older Montanans did on Tuesday, Montana would have a Republican Senator today. </p>
<p>In many ways, this election cycle showed how different groups can create diverse paths to political engagement. It shows in the numbers, and importantly, in young people’s faces. Young people should be feeling powerful and hopeful that they can in fact exercise their votes to affect American politics. </p>
<p>Going back 40 years, young voters have a reputation of <a href="https://civicyouth.org/quick-facts/youth-voting">not showing up to the polls</a>, especially in midterm elections. So how do we explain this year’s enthusiasm?</p>
<p>This fall, my colleagues and I conducted two large-scale national surveys of 2,087 Americans ages 18 to 24 to document and understand what Gen Zs are thinking, feeling and doing when it comes to politics. </p>
<p>Here’s what we found.</p>
<h2>All signs pointed to wave of young people</h2>
<p>The proportion of young people who joined protests and marches tripled since the fall of 2016, from <a href="http://civicyouth.org/circle-poll-so-much-for-slacktivism-as-youth-translate-online-engagement-to-offline-political-action/">5 percent to 15 percent</a>. Participation was especially high among young people who are <a href="https://civicyouth.org/circle-poll-youth-engagement-in-the-2018-election">registered as Democrats</a>. </p>
<p>We also found that young people were <a href="https://civicyouth.org/circle-poll-youth-engagement-in-the-2018-election/">paying attention to politics</a> more than they had in 2016. In 2016, about 26 percent of young people said they were paying at least some attention to the November elections. This fall, the proportion of youth who reported that they were paying attention to the midterm races rose to 46 percent. </p>
<p>It’s clear that more young people were actively engaged in politics this year than 2016. </p>
<p>Why? </p>
<h2>Cynicism and worry aren’t obstacles</h2>
<p>To learn more about what might was motivating Generation Z to vote, we asked survey participants to rate their level of agreement with three statements. </p>
<p>“I worry that older generations haven’t thought about young people’s future.” </p>
<p>“I’m more cynical about politics than I was 2 years ago.” </p>
<p>“The outcomes of the 2018 elections will make a significant impact to everyday issues involving the government in my community, such as schools and police.”</p>
<p>In this year’s survey, we found that young people who felt cynical were far more likely to say they would vote. Other research has found that cynicism about politics can <a href="http://www.calstatela.edu/sites/default/files/users/u2276/opdycke_segura_vasquez_essay5.pdf">suppress or drive electoral engagement</a> depending on the contexts.</p>
<p>Among young people who said “yes” to all three of those questions, more than half – 52 percent – said they were extremely likely to vote. Among young people who said “no” to all three of those questions, only 22 percent were extremely likely to vote.</p>
<p>Our poll results suggest political involvement in this generation is far above the levels we usually see among youth, especially in midterm election cycles. </p>
<p>In fact, almost 3 out of 4 youth – 72 percent – said they believe that dramatic change could occur in this country if people banded together. </p>
<p>This year’s voting surge by young people did not happen overnight. Nor was it driven by a single issue like gun violence, though <a href="http://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2018/10/12/march-for-our-lives-to-embark-on-12-day-national-tour-ahead-of-election-day/">Parkland no doubt played</a> a very important role by activating many young people and voter engagement groups. </p>
<p>Our research shows that Gen Z is aware of the challenges ahead and they are hopeful and actively involving themselves and friends in politics. Beyond almost any doubt, young people have gotten involved and felt ready to make a change in American politics – and so they did.</p>
<p><em>This is an updated version of an article originally published on Oct. 19, 2018.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/106505/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg receives non-partisan research funding from Ford Foundation, Democracy Fund, and McCormick Foundation. She is affiliated with Democracy Fund, TurboVote Challenge, Nonprofit VOTE and Generation Citizen but is not paid by any of these organizations.</span></em></p>A survey shows the newest generation on the voting block is extremely cynical, and that drove record numbers of them out to vote.Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, Director, Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement in the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life, Tufts UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/972012018-06-11T14:24:26Z2018-06-11T14:24:26ZSchool shootings: why some young people are more traumatised than others<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/222593/original/file-20180611-191947-bojf62.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C32%2C3453%2C2369&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/new-york-ny-united-states-04202018-1073390873?src=03fUXkLznhWvVzPXPRHwgQ-2-83">Brent Eysler/Shutterstock.</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>More people <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180419131025.htm">have died or been injured</a> in mass school shootings in the United States in the past 18 years, than in the entire 20th century. Today, activists are increasing pressure on the government to act, to keep children safe at school. There have been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2018/mar/24/emma-gonzalezs-powerful-march-for-our-lives-speech-in-full-video">powerful speeches from survivors</a>, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-43835834">mass school walkouts</a> and symbolic protests; including <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/may/21/us-gun-control-protest-high-school-die-in-day">a national “die-in”</a> to be held outside the Capitol in Washington DC. </p>
<p>This powerful movement led by young people may yet spark the legal changes needed to prevent more school shootings from happening in the future. But there are already many young people who are living with the effects of the extreme trauma of a mass school shooting. My colleagues and I <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29779059">recently reviewed</a> 11 research papers from 2014 to 2017, which sought to understand the psychological impacts of school shootings on young people – and how they vary from person to person. </p>
<p>Most survivors of school shootings will make a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0005789414001051">good recovery</a> in the months that follow. But for others, the experience will trigger long term, life changing symptoms of psychological distress, including post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). There may also be other consequences, which aren’t categorised as psychological disorders, but which still have a substantial impact on the young person’s life – their performance at school <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.3102/0162373715590683">may be impaired</a>, for example. </p>
<h2>Understanding the impacts</h2>
<p>In the field of psychology, it’s well established that the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jts.20444">impact of trauma is cumulative</a> – in other words, experiencing multiple traumas – especially in childhood – results in more severe and complex symptoms. Research that focuses on school shootings is <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0005789414001051">consistent with this</a>, showing that students who have dealt with previous trauma are at greater risk of long term difficulty after experiencing a school shooting.</p>
<p>After the 2008 shooting at the Northern Illinois University, a group of researchers <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jts.21914">found that</a> the students who displayed the most resilience tended to have lower levels of pre-shooting trauma, less exposure to the shooting itself and less difficulty with regulating their emotions. Those with more serious problems reported that before the shooting, they had been more inclined to avoid <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/record/1996-07086-005">uncomfortable internal experiences</a> such as stress or anxiety. Another risk factor for longer term distress seems to be <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0005789414001051">experiencing dissociation</a> – a sense of detachment – during the event itself.</p>
<p>Here’s another problem. Mass school shootings are carried out almost exclusively by <a href="https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/katherine-s-newman/rampage/9780786722372/">white male teenagers</a> – and yet the evidence suggests that black students are <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/06/education/black-students-face-more-harsh-discipline-data-shows.html">disproportionately targeted</a> under “zero tolerance” policies that schools typically implement in the wake of such events. Though Hispanic and black students make up 45% of the student body, they constitute 56% of those expelled under such policies. This is another, indirect psychological consequence of school shootings for young people, concentrated on black and minority students. </p>
<p>We also know less about the direct effects of school shootings on students of colour – most psychological studies are conducted on <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(15)00244-2/fulltext">samples of white people</a>, and <a href="https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.proxy1-bib.sdu.dk/doi/abs/10.1002/jts.22066">researchers at NIU</a> have demonstrated that experiences of black and minority young people are likely to be underrepresented due to higher rates of attrition. </p>
<h2>Seeking support</h2>
<p>Certain factors, such as <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/buy/2000-02835-001">social support</a>, seem to mitigate the impact of a massive trauma to some extent. In relation to school shootings specifically, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10615806.2014.969719">researchers found</a> that students who sought social support – and perceived this process positively – felt better able to help themselves through recovery and reach out to others. This led to lower levels of distress for those students. Other researchers <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3402/ejpt.v5.23079@zept20.2014.5.issue-s1">in Finland</a> showed that after a school shooting there, students stressed the importance of leaning on their “natural” support networks of friends, partners and family.</p>
<p>Young people have different <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jts.21914">trajectories of recovery</a>, which suggests that they may not all benefit from the same type of support at the same point in time. But students who show signs of being at greater risk from trauma – for instance, those who have trouble regulating their emotions – could benefit from targeted therapy, where they can be <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/psychophysiology/article/emotion-regulation-affective-cognitive-and-social-consequences/552536BD5988D0D2079A7E0CC82E1ED8">taught strategies</a> to address these difficulties.</p>
<p>Protective factors can also be fostered through therapy. Helping students to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3402/ejpt.v5.23079@zept20.2014.5.issue-s1">reach out</a> to their friends and families is important – they need to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10615806.2014.969719">feel a sense of social support</a>, and they are likely to turn to their existing networks first to get it. Therapy can include families and partners too, and can provide them with the tools they need to support loved ones following a mass shooting.</p>
<h2>The right response</h2>
<p>Group sessions might be healing in specific ways for people who have experienced a collective trauma. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10615806.2014.969719">Researchers studying the aftermath</a> of the Virginia Tech shooting noted that group therapy could provide opportunities for those who don’t feel ready to speak, to benefit passively from social support and a sense of community.</p>
<p>Although there has been a significant amount of research into the psychological consequences of school shootings, the responses so far have too often been inadequate, and <a href="https://books.google.ie/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Fcw3DwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT6&dq=School+violence:+Fears+versus+facts&ots=3GUtmt6v7-&sig=uxh4TyIMnzcYRAy5BhiDt4GUjpM&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=School%20violence%3A%20Fears%20versus%20facts&f=false">not based on evidence</a>. The effectiveness of harsh “zero tolerance” disciplinary policies <a href="https://nyupress.org/books/9781479877027/">has been debunked</a> – yet politicians in the US <a href="https://theconversation.com/zero-tolerance-discipline-policies-wont-fix-school-shootings-93399">continue to propose</a> the same type of measures in the wake of recent tragedies.</p>
<p>The US <a href="http://time.com/5286562/santa-fe-high-school-shooting-texas-gun-control/">has still not introduced</a> meaningful gun control measures – even though the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2018/02/15/europe-had-school-shootings-too-then-they-did-something-about-it/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.d8ab94f822dc">vast majority</a> of mass school shootings happen there. As long as young people continue to be traumatised in this way, it’s crucial to recognise that some survivors are more vulnerable than others, so that each can be given the support they need to recover.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/97201/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Áine Travers does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Previous trauma, race and access to support all affect a survivor’s recovery.Áine Travers, PhD Researcher in Psychology, University of Southern DenmarkLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/909702018-01-31T11:40:01Z2018-01-31T11:40:01ZYouthquake was real – here’s how we know it was more than a myth<p>Academics from the British Election Study have labelled the 2017 youthquake in British politics a <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-42747342">“myth”</a>. <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3111839">They</a> argue that when adjusting for “demographic imbalances”, there is no evidence of a substantial change in the relationship between age and turnout between the 2015 and 2017 UK general elections.</p>
<p>This conclusion certainly differs from a number of other findings. Figures from <a href="https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/how-britain-voted-2017-election">Ipsos MORI</a>, for example, suggest turnout among 18-24-year-olds for last year’s general election represented a 21 percentage-point increase from 2015. </p>
<p>This figure is derived using Ipsos MORI’s pre-2017 methodology; their newer methodology estimates an increase of 16 percentage points.</p>
<p>To consider (and dismiss) the idea of a youthquake solely on the basis of turnout is rather narrow. Indeed, according to the <a href="https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/word-of-the-year/word-of-the-year-2017">Oxford dictionary definition</a>, youthquake is a multi-faceted phenomenon involving fundamental social, political and cultural shifts. Turnout is only one part of it.</p>
<h2>Labour’s year</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.if.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Youth-Quake_Final.pdf">The Labour Party was emphatically ahead</a> of all other parties among 18-24-year-olds in the last election. Putting forward a radical “youth-oriented” socioeconomic agenda, Labour effectively neutralised the threat posed by its progressive rivals such as the Green party and the Liberal Democrats. </p>
<p>Labour took a 62% vote share among 18-24-year-olds. Such a large vote share is unprecedented when looking at party support among young people in previous elections. In 2010, the two major parties were locked together in terms of support among this age group. The importance of age as an individual-level predictor for vote choice in 2017 should not be downplayed. </p>
<h2>University-led youth revolt</h2>
<p>A fascinating part of the youthquake was the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jun/09/students-inspired-by-corbyn-played-big-role-in-labour-surge">swathe of young people supporting Labour in university towns and cities</a>. No doubt spurred on by the promise to abolish tuition fees, young people in these areas voted for Labour in their droves. </p>
<p>The constituency of <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000619">Canterbury</a>, with a high concentration of students which include those who attend the University of Kent, elected a Labour MP for the first time since the seat’s creation in 1918 – removing its 30-year Conservative MP Julian Brazier in the process. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg – vilified by many for his u-turn on tuition fees while in government – was unceremoniously dumped out of his student-loaded Sheffield Hallam seat by <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/politics/cleggsit-nick-clegg-fell-full-force-britains-youthquake/">Labour</a>. </p>
<p>Despite this being a crucial element of the youthquake, <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3111839">the BES paper</a> does not deeply engage with levels of turnout and Labour support among young people in university towns and cities.</p>
<h2>Young women</h2>
<p>The role of younger female voters in the youthquake must also be noted. <a href="http://www.if.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Youth-Quake_Final.pdf">There was an unexpected gap</a> in participation between young women and men aged 18-24 (66% to 62%). Younger women were also more likely to vote Labour than their male counterparts by some margin. </p>
<p>In the UK, a country which voted Brexit when the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-42308551">majority of young people wished to Remain</a>, inequalities continue to persist. But it has witnessed the emergence of a progressive, well-educated, cosmopolitan youth movement – one which challenges both neoliberal economic orthodoxy and traditional conceptions of nationhood. And it appears young women lie at the heart of this social phenomenon. </p>
<h2>The rise of online political communication</h2>
<p>Another key aspect of the youthquake phenomenon is how the modernisation of communication has seriously shaped Britain’s political culture. </p>
<p>Young people are not only more likely to digest political information online – they are also more likely to trust such information <a href="http://www.if.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Youth-Quake_Final.pdf">in comparison to more traditional forms of media</a>. </p>
<p>This was the election where online political communication and “clicktivism” truly made their mark. Labour, along with affiliate bodies such as Momentum, not only engaged with many young people through social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter – but also encouraged them to “share the message”. </p>
<p>Labour – in particular Jeremy Corbyn – has come to dominate the British social media space. A cyber-political marketplace where the main consumers are young people. </p>
<h2>Parties shaken</h2>
<p>Youthquake is not just about quantifiable participation trends, but also the shifting attitudes and behaviours of formal political actors.</p>
<p>The aftermath of the 2017 election saw the Conservatives enter a period of introspection. Losing its parliamentary majority when it was widely expected to increase it, a general consensus was reached within the party – it needed to do more to win over young voters. </p>
<p>Response to the youthquake included calls for the creation of a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/aug/29/activate-tories-mimic-momentum-with-grassroots-campaign">Tory-affiliated rival to Momentum</a> and the reestablishment of a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/sep/15/conservative-party-review-youth-wing-eric-pickles-young-people">healthy youth wing of the party</a>. In her new year reshuffle, prime minister Theresa May appointed new Mansfield MP, 28-year-old Ben Bradley, as <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/42615154/young-mp-ben-bradley-wants-to-fix-tory-image-problem">the vice chair for youth at Conservative Campaigns HQ</a>. </p>
<p>These moves are a formal political acknowledgement of the youthquake as a real phenomenon by a party in government. </p>
<h2>Who is young?</h2>
<p>It’s also important to acknowledge that both levels of turnout and Labour support increased for all age groups up to 40 years of age. Recent young people’s literature has <a href="http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.916.4539&rep=rep1&type=pdf">debated what constitutes “youth”</a> and whether it ought to be <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-42732442">based on life circumstances as opposed to arbitrary and fixed age-based boundaries</a>.</p>
<p>The shifts in party support for age groups up to 40 suggest that new perspectives on what “youth” constitutes in Britain need to be developed. Especially in an age of delayed home ownership, unsettled employment status for new graduates and high university-related debt. </p>
<p>Youthquake, at its heart, involved the mass support for Labour among young people, with the intergenerational gap in party choice being starker than ever. With Labour enjoying particularly high support among full-time students – including those from more economically secure backgrounds – traditional class cleavages gave way to the importance of age in determining voter choice. </p>
<p>To dismiss youthquake as a “myth” does not only neglect these realities. It also threatens to undermine meaningful strides in political participation made by young people. It sustains a long-standing myth that young people are not interested in politics and <a href="https://theconversation.com/young-voters-are-pulling-their-weight-politicians-can-no-longer-ignore-them-79515">not bothered</a> when it comes to getting involved in the workings of their country.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/90970/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rakib Ehsan has received funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) for his PhD.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matt Henn has previously received funding from the Economic and Social Research Council</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>James Sloam does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour managed something huge in 2017, even if turnout hasn’t proved to be as high as expected.Rakib Ehsan, Doctoral Researcher in Political Science, Royal Holloway University of LondonJames Sloam, Co-Director of Centre for European Politics, Co-ordinator of Youth Politics Unit, Royal Holloway University of LondonMatt Henn, Professor of Social Research, Nottingham Trent UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/908752018-01-30T15:33:45Z2018-01-30T15:33:45ZYouthquake was a ‘myth’, but social media campaigning is here to stay<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/204036/original/file-20180130-107700-1lyuamc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/andymiah/33970528723/sizes/l">Andy Miah/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It was widely believed that Labour did unexpectedly well in the UK’s 2017 general election because of a surge in youth turnout. But this notion <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-42747342">has been challenged</a> by findings from the British Election Study (BES). The <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3111839">research notes</a> very little change in the turnout of 18 to 24-year-olds between the 2015 and 2017 general elections – rather, Labour’s popularity increased across most age groups. In fact, the authors of the study suggest that large shifts in young voter turnout are unlikely in future elections: voter patterns are “sticky”, so people who have voted or abstained in the past will continue to do so. </p>
<p>In the lead up to the 2017 poll, political pundits <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jun/09/digital-strategists-give-victory-to-labour-in-social-media-election-facebook-twitter">remarked that</a> Labour’s election campaign had something the Conservatives’ didn’t: young grassroots activists, social media and memes. Together with a manifesto <a href="http://www.nya.org.uk/2017/05/general-election-2017-party-manifestos-policies-young-people/">that pledged to</a> abolish tuition fees and restore maintenance grants, many thought Labour’s appeal to young people triggered a “<a href="https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/word-of-the-year/word-of-the-year-2017">youthquake</a>” – a political awakening of younger voters – which lost the Conservative party <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2017/results">13 MPs</a> and gave Labour 30 more, leaving Theresa May with a very bloody nose indeed. </p>
<h2>Winners and losers</h2>
<p>In the aftermath of the 2017 election, the Conservatives were anxious to close their social media deficit. Conservative MP Ben Bradley <a href="http://www.vogue.co.uk/article/ben-bradley-vice-chair-youth-parliament">tasked with</a> engaging young voters as Conservative vice-chair for youth, while <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2017t/09/short-life-and-brutal-death-activate-tory-momentum">others in the party tried</a> (and failed) to recreate the success of Labour’s grass-roots campaign group Momentum, with a Conservative equivalent called Activate. Conservative MPs were also lectured on how to use Instagram – a way of easing them into social media by way of a platform often viewed as a kinder, gentler place for politicians, where they are less likely to attract <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-people-who-abuse-mps-online-81221">criticism or abuse</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/204035/original/file-20180130-107703-1eywans.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/204035/original/file-20180130-107703-1eywans.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204035/original/file-20180130-107703-1eywans.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204035/original/file-20180130-107703-1eywans.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204035/original/file-20180130-107703-1eywans.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=733&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204035/original/file-20180130-107703-1eywans.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=733&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204035/original/file-20180130-107703-1eywans.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=733&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Social memedia strategy.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1263871-2017-uk-election">Know Your Meme.</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Labour, meanwhile, simply kept on with their social media strategy from the election, generating more posts, more videos and <a href="http://www.electionanalysis.uk/uk-election-analysis-2017/section-5-the-digital-campaign/labours-social-media-campaign-more-posts-more-video-and-more-interaction/">more interaction</a> with younger voters. Even Jeremy Corbyn’s words in the House of Commons are influenced by the party’s digital content strategy, with <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-42269771">statements prepared and planted into Prime Minister’s Questions</a>, to be used later in social media videos. Despite all the action taken by the Conservatives to “up their game”, Labour is still thought to be <a href="https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk/labour-posts-likelier-to-be-shared-by-social-media-users-than-those-of-tories-36469147.html">the leader on social media</a>.</p>
<p>Now, reports of the BES results have dismissed the youthquake as mere “myth”, which suggests that that the <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/conservative-social-media-strategy-attack-jeremy-corbyn-labouir-twitter-facebook-video-stormzy-akala-a7784406.html">millions of pounds</a> <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/c78c3bd0-36f8-11e7-99bd-13beb0903fa3">spent on social media</a> campaigns by both parties have failed to pay off – at least if the aim was to garner the support of young people. But that doesn’t mean the parties will stop using social media to reach out to voters – or that they should.</p>
<h2>The game continues</h2>
<p>Social media is no longer a young person’s game. <a href="https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/latest/media/media-releases/2017/rise-social-seniors">A report</a> by communications regulator OfCom in June 2017 found that a record number of older people are embracing social media, with half of online baby boomers creating social media accounts. This means social media is now an important touchpoint for a generation that is much more likely to vote than than young people. We can now expect parties to start viewing social media as a way to connect with older voters, as well as younger ones. </p>
<p>In any case, social media is already routinely used by MPs and parties, so much so that it’s now the norm. In 2018, an MP without any social media presence would be viewed as out-of-touch. MPs are expected to have Twitter and Facebook pages, just as they’re expected to have a website, an email address and a telephone number. Dialling down MPs’ use of social media would therefore be a sign of defeat.</p>
<p>More to the point, social media does actually work. In the 2015 general election, the Conservative’s success was partially attributed to its spend of <a href="http://www.thedrum.com/news/2016/01/20/general-election-2015-ad-spend-conservatives-spent-over-1m-more-labour-facebook">over £1m</a> on Facebook advertising, which targeted voters with messages based on their core interests, according to Facebook’s user data. The Conservatives outspent Labour on Facebook by nearly a factor of 75 for a reason – it worked. </p>
<p>Youthquake or no youthquake, social media platforms have become the site where the battle for the national consciousness is won or lost. After all, it is where the Leave campaign successfully deployed <a href="http://www.referendumanalysis.eu/eu-referendum-analysis-2016/section-7-social-media/impact-of-social-media-on-the-outcome-of-the-eu-referendum/">emotional rhetoric to win over the online space</a> over the course of the EU referendum. And Labour’s organic approach in 2017, which relied more on supporters sharing posts than paid promotion, shows there is still a place for election campaigning on social media. </p>
<p>The dream of triggering a youthquake though social media may have been shattered, but this won’t spell an end to parties seeking to engage with audiences on social media. With newspaper <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=2O80DwAAQBAJ&lpg=PT8&ots=-I6PwLUzGz&dq=Falling%20UK%20newspaper%20readership&lr&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false">readership falling</a>, and <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1540-5907.2005.00143.x/full">less interest in current affairs</a> content, political parties are seeking new ways to reach voters – and social media is starting to look like one of the few remaining options. So politics is here to stay on social media, and parties <a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/2017/11/politics-is-now-a-digital-arms-race-and-labour-is-winning/">are now seeking</a> to be ahead of the digital curve, with established teams waiting in the shadows for the next big internet phenomenon to jump on.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/90875/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Liam Mcloughlin does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The British Election Study results have called the notion of a 2017 ‘youthquake’ into question. But that doesn’t mean parties will abandon social media campaigning any time soon.Dr Liam Mcloughlin, PhD Researcher, University of SalfordLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/864902017-11-01T10:48:54Z2017-11-01T10:48:54ZWhat young Britons really think about Brexit and their prospects outside the EU<p>In the immediate aftermath of the EU referendum, much was made of how devastated young people were by the result. A survey by Lord Ashcroft <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-36619342">suggested</a> that over 70% of young people aged 18-24 voted Remain, while almost 60% of over 55s voted to Leave.</p>
<p>In my ongoing research, I’ve found that this view is too simplistic: in practice, young people’s reactions and views are much more diverse and tricky to categorise. </p>
<p>Between March and September 2017, my colleagues and I talked to young people around England about their <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/departments-centres/centres/centre-for-global-youth/being-young-in-brexit-britain">attitudes towards Brexit and aspirations after the referendum</a>. Our fieldwork took us to London, the south coast, the west of England, and greater Manchester. Along the way, we spoke with 73 young people aged between 16 and 29, including university students, sixth formers and further education students, young people in their first jobs, as well as those struggling to find work. </p>
<p>During our interviews, we came across young Brexiteers, who were predominantly male and think the country will be better off outside the EU, as well as Europhiles, often bright middle-class young women, who feel betrayed but still hope to pursue careers in the EU. </p>
<p>But we also found that just as many young people were disinterested in the Brexit referendum and its aftermath. These young people often had little interest in politics, a low level of qualifications, or were more focused on more immediate challenges in their lives, such as trying to find work, homes, or deal with health problems.</p>
<h2>Cosmopolitan youth</h2>
<p>Another widespread assumption about the referendum was that youth support for the Remain campaign owed much to young people’s cosmopolitan and idealistic outlook. Our previous <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1468796817723682">research</a> had actually found that young people in Britain are less tolerant of immigration than you might expect and so one of the aims of this new project was to examine whether young people’s attitudes towards Brexit were really driven by idealism and cosmpolitanism. </p>
<p>We found that this was only true of some of the young people we interviewed: just as many voted Remain because they viewed remaining in the EU as the safest option, and the outcome that would have had the least negative impact on their lives. Leavers provided equally varied reasons for their decision, including concerns about democracy, sovereignty, the wastefulness of the EU as well as immigration. Others believed that Brexit would bring greater economic opportunities. </p>
<p>William, a white, middle-class, university-educated Londoner, told us he believes Brexit will not limit his job opportunities: “I voted to vote Leave and take control.” He even persuaded his parents – lifelong Tories – to vote Leave. </p>
<p>Then there was 17-year-old Polly, a middle-class A-level student at a selective school in the west of England. A self-professed Europhile who describes her friends and family as “ardent Remainers”, she still intends to live and work in the EU, but is worried this will be made much harder by Brexit. </p>
<p>By contrast, some of those we spoke to were completely disengaged from the Brexit debate. Take Jason, a 21-year-old white British man living in the south of England. He has few qualifications and is struggling to find a job. “I don’t really think about Brexit that much,” he told us. “I am not a political person, so I am not that bothered.”</p>
<p>In between these positions, there are also more nuanced views, with some of those who voted Leave admitting to nervousness about what will happen, or Remainers resigned to the result and pragmatic about the need to get on with Brexit and get a good deal. Much like the wider adult population, young people hold a wide range of views about Brexit.</p>
<h2>Aspirations and identities</h2>
<p>Most young people we spoke to thought Brexit was unlikely to affect their short-term and long-term aspirations. Many already had a clear plan about what they would like their career and life to look like, and they were largely optimistic that Brexit would not prevent them from achieving these goals. </p>
<p>Few reported feeling less European since the referendum, in part because few felt European in the first place. Most were also just as attached to and proud of Britain as they had been before the referendum. A minority, however, felt more proud of Britain for standing up for itself and a similar minority felt more ashamed of being British, believing the referendum result suggested Britain was not inclusive.</p>
<p>There were two groups for whom Brexit is having a clearer effect on their identity: young Europhiles – who had a stronger European identity and concrete plans to study and work abroad – and young people from ethnic minority backgrounds. For example, Maria, an 18-year-old first generation immigrant raised in London by eastern European parents, told us that after the referendum, she: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Felt like I had to be less European. All I heard was a lot of the reasons why people voted was because of immigrants… I think that kind of made me feel ‘wow’, I think I need to like emphasise that I’m British-British, and not even mention anything else.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>And this sense of exclusion was not limited to young people with a European heritage. Mariam, a 19-year-old young British-Asian woman living in south-east England, said that Brexit had made her feel “less, definitely less [British]. 100%”, adding: “Some people think if you are not white, you are not British. This is how I look at it, this is how I have experienced it.”</p>
<p>Although the young people we spoke to held a wide range of views about Brexit, we heard a palpable sense of resignation that nothing could be done to change the result. While there was a <a href="https://theconversation.com/young-voters-are-on-the-march-heres-how-to-keep-them-coming-back-for-more-84748">youth surge in voting</a> at the 2017 general election, a general sense of powerlessness to reverse the course of Brexit may end up reinforcing the disengagement of young people that has troubled British politics since the early 1990s.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/86490/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Avril Keating benefits from funding from the ESRC (research grants ES/K001620/2 and ES/J019135/1). </span></em></p>New research shows that not all young people are totally devastated by the referendum result.Avril Keating, Director, Centre for Global Youth, UCL Institute of Education, UCLLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/860062017-10-19T14:00:12Z2017-10-19T14:00:12ZMore and more young people are falling into debt – but it’s not their fault<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/191048/original/file-20171019-1045-1vv28ed.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Paying the price.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/derwentliving/16800920641/sizes/l">Derwent Living/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The UK has a consumer debt crisis and it is young people, aged 18 to 34, who are most vulnerable. National unsecured debt – which includes credit cards, overdrafts and car loans – <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jul/31/fca-unauthorised-overdrafts-car-loan-market">has topped £200 billion</a> for the first time since the global financial crisis struck in 2008. But the concentration of debt, and the experiences of vulnerability, are not shared out equally. </p>
<p>Andrew Bailey, the head of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41627238">has warned</a> that there is a “pronounced build-up of indebtedness amongst the younger age group”. He was responding to the FCA’s <a href="https://www.fca.org.uk/publication/research/financial-lives-survey-2017.pdf#page=14">Financial Lives Survey</a> which showed that 55% of 18- to 24-year-olds and 63% of 25- to 34-year-olds are in debt, owing on average over £8,000. </p>
<p>These numbers alone are cause for alarm, and that’s before even considering the harms and vulnerability that over-indebtedness brings. Any debt organisation will tell you about <a href="https://www.stepchange.org/Portals/0/documents/media/reports/8_billion_challenge.pdf">the damage which debt causes</a> to mental and physical health. And yet so many young people are forced into debt, often before they start any meaningful form of work. </p>
<p>This problem should not be seen as a product of “binge” culture, and young people should not just be told to rein in their spending. Rather, this is a problem of affordability. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/191042/original/file-20171019-1082-22viwn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/191042/original/file-20171019-1082-22viwn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191042/original/file-20171019-1082-22viwn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191042/original/file-20171019-1082-22viwn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191042/original/file-20171019-1082-22viwn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191042/original/file-20171019-1082-22viwn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191042/original/file-20171019-1082-22viwn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A house and a car? Keep dreaming.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/oscarfh/25088418294/sizes/l">Oscar F. Hevia/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Rising housing costs; an increase in zero-hours contracts; inflation outstripping wages; the rapid rise in student loans – all of these issues are creating a cage of debt around young people. While the older generation retains financial security through assets (usually in the form of housing) and enjoys greater security in work, the younger generation is more likely to be exposed to the risks of <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/landlords-refuse-to-rent-to-young-tenants-including-students-2f3lr35hk">private renting</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/oct/17/sometimes-you-dont-feel-human-how-the-gig-economy-chews-up-and-spits-out-millennials">job insecurity</a>.</p>
<h2>How did it come to this?</h2>
<p>Amid the global panic arising from the 2008 financial crisis, the UK government propped up a failing banking sector with <a href="https://www.nao.org.uk/highlights/taxpayer-support-for-uk-banks-faqs/">£1,162 billion in support</a>. At this moment, the private financial crisis turned into a public state crisis. </p>
<p>Crises are usually defined by change, signalling an end to the unstable conditions of the past. Yet the enduring legacy of the financial crisis has been a transformation of the role of the state and public finances, which has left young people in an even more precarious position. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/period-poverty-why-one-in-ten-young-women-struggle-to-afford-pads-and-tampons-85715">Period poverty: why one in ten young women struggle to afford pads and tampons</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Ten years on from the financial crisis, and eight years after the introduction of the welfare-stripping austerity agenda, one thing <a href="http://www.jrf.org.uk/blog/2012/08/financial-crisis-five-years-poorest-pay-price">still holds true</a>: it is the people who contributed the least towards the crisis who are paying the highest price.</p>
<h2>A raw deal</h2>
<p>As the UK government continues to pay back its own debts by cutting costs and squeezing out savings, it is really young people who are carrying the burden of debt. What’s worse is, they don’t really have a choice. </p>
<p>In the years since the crisis, fiscal responsibility has been transferred from the state onto the individual. In other words, rather than the state providing services to ensure a basic level of well-being for everyone, it’s increasingly up to individuals to pay the price for their own education, housing and health care. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/191041/original/file-20171019-1048-1kduah7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/191041/original/file-20171019-1048-1kduah7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/191041/original/file-20171019-1048-1kduah7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191041/original/file-20171019-1048-1kduah7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191041/original/file-20171019-1048-1kduah7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191041/original/file-20171019-1048-1kduah7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191041/original/file-20171019-1048-1kduah7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191041/original/file-20171019-1048-1kduah7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Students protest against £9,000 tuition fees, London 2010.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/binaryape/5205333472/sizes/l">Binary Ape/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Nowhere is this clearer than in higher education; whereas the state once invested in the futures of the young, it now saddles university graduates with an average debt of <a href="http://www.moneyadvicetrust.org/SiteCollectionDocuments/Research%20and%20reports/Borrowed%20Years%2c%20Young%20people%20credit%20and%20debt%2c%20Aug%202016.pdf">£25,505 each</a>.</p>
<p>Even the government’s flagship apprenticeship scheme uses young people for cheap labour, with 18-year-olds paid as little as <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/student/istudents/apprenticeships-government-promises-apprentices-disadvantaged-young-people-living-minimum-wage-a7539101.html">£3.40 an hour</a>. </p>
<p>All this means that, unless young people have the financial support of a parent, they are forced to rely on an increasingly punitive and complex benefit system or (more likely) be pushed down the pathway to debt. In these circumstances, it’s unsurprising that debt has become a “lifeline” for so many.</p>
<p>Debt is a major political instrument of control, and it should be seen as such. Individuals shoulder the burden of debt, but it is not an individual problem; it is a problem of society. It is no accident that the young are indebted in the way that they are: it is the product of years of neglect and a lack of investment by the state. The political choices of the UK government got young people into this mess. Now, political action should be used to help them out.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/86006/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alex Simpson has received funding from the ESRC.</span></em></p>Not-so-fun fact: more than half of 18- to 34-year-olds are in debt, owing over £8,000 each on average.Alex Simpson, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, University of BrightonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/742182017-03-27T11:03:05Z2017-03-27T11:03:05ZClimate change and poverty are as much of a threat as terrorism for many young people<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/162372/original/image-20170324-12129-1j4h13u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It will probably come as little surprise that recent <a href="http://www.pewglobal.org/2016/06/13/europeans-see-isis-climate-change-as-most-serious-threats/">surveys</a> have found the majority of adults in Europe think that international terrorism is the most pressing threat to the continent.</p>
<p>Though this is valuable information about what adults think, little is known about what children and young people perceive as the greatest threats to life and democracy in Europe.</p>
<p>The stereotypes of young people, particularly teenagers, are that they are disengaged from society, and not focused on national, let alone international, issues. But that couldn’t be <a href="http://www.wiserd.ac.uk/news/latest-news/politically-engaged-unrepresented-attitudes-politics-among-voters-tomorrow/#sthash.VFR4zGMe.dpbs">further from the truth</a>.</p>
<h2>Young people’s views</h2>
<p>For the last four years, our research group WISERDEducation has been <a href="http://www.wiserd.ac.uk/wiserd-education/en/">surveying students</a> at primary and secondary schools across Wales about aspects of their lives, education and perceptions of the wider world. In 2016 we asked almost 700 secondary school students (aged 13 to 18-years-old) what they considered to be “the most important problem facing Europe today”, to see whether their perceptions differed from adults’, and also whether views varied by age.</p>
<p>The students were given nine different problems to choose from: climate change, economic instability, international terrorism, poverty, war, availability of energy, population growth, spread of nuclear weapons and infectious diseases. The chart below shows the proportion of students who selected the five most popular options. The remaining options, grouped as “other”, were chosen by very few participants, under 20% across all year groups. The chart below also excludes those who answered “don’t know”.</p>
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<p>International terrorism dominated as the greatest problem for Europe among our participants. But looking at different school year groups, a more nuanced picture emerged.</p>
<iframe id="datawrapper-chart-n6kzH" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/n6kzH/1/" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" oallowfullscreen="oallowfullscreen" msallowfullscreen="msallowfullscreen" width="100%" height="238"></iframe>
<p>Of Year 9 students (13 to 14-years-old), 44% considered terrorism to be the biggest problem, but this rate fell to 33% of Year 11 students (15 to 16-years-old). For Year 13 students (17 to 18-years-old), the percentage who thought terrorism was the biggest problem was much lower, at 20%.</p>
<p>For the older students, terrorism was displaced by economic instability as the most significant problem facing Europe – which may reflect the fact that employment and the economy were becoming more relevant to them as they came to the end of their school careers. However, while economic instability topped the list for this cohort, no single problem dominated for the Year 13 group. Students’ concerns were clustered around a number of key issues, including terrorism, climate change and poverty.</p>
<p>Interestingly, the older students were more likely to see climate change as the most important problem for Europe. Only 12% of Year 9 and 11% of Year 11 students noted climate change as their greatest concern, but this jumped to 18% among Year 13 students. In fact, this was only slightly lower than the 20% of Year 13 students who saw terrorism as the most significant problem.</p>
<h2>Threat perception influence</h2>
<p>One reason that such a high proportion of students may have selected international terrorism as the most pressing issue facing Europe may have been the timing of our research. Students were surveyed in spring 2016, soon after <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-new-normal-one-year-since-terror-attacks-paris-is-a-city-afraid-and-divided-66707">attacks in Paris</a>. In the month following the attacks, the children’s helpline, Childline, reported <a href="https://www.nspcc.org.uk/fighting-for-childhood/news-opinion/increase-calls-childline-paris-attacks/">a surge in calls</a> from young people anxious about the possibility of a similar attack in Britain. Previous research has also found that people tend to prioritise threats that are <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wcc.41/full">physically and temporally close to them</a>.</p>
<p>Terrorist attacks may also be seen as more threatening in general <a href="http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/energy/2015/12/why-we-fear-terrorism-more-climate-change">because they have clear perpetrators</a>. By contrast no one group or individual can be blamed for climate change, making it seem less tangible as a threat. This is, of course, hugely problematic considering the large body of evidence that shows that <a href="http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/">climate change is already happening</a>, and that other threats such as international terrorism may be <a href="http://time.com/4113801/climate-change-terrorism/">linked to the disruption caused by global warming</a>.</p>
<p>In the context of <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/e-library/documents/basic-documents/docs/20150408_1_memo_eurobarometer_april_2015_v2_en.pdf">research</a> on the threats to Europe – in which international terrorism routinely tops the list of concerns – the surprising finding from our survey is that such a high proportion of Year 13 students considered climate change to be a pressing issue, more so than found in some <a href="https://yougov.co.uk/news/2016/01/29/global-issues/">studies of adults’ views</a>. </p>
<p>A recent <a href="https://yougov.co.uk/news/2016/01/29/global-issues/">YouGov survey</a> found that Britons are among the least concerned in the world about climate change, with only 12.8% selecting it as their most pressing issue. Considering that 18% of people aged 17 to 18-years-old in our 2016 survey believed it to be the most important issue facing Europe, and that the older the students were, the more likely they were to prioritise climate change, it seems that attitudes may be changing among the next generation of young adults.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/74218/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rhian Barrance does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A survey of what young people perceive to be the biggest threat to Europe reveals some surprising information.Rhian Barrance, Social Science Researcher at the Wales Institute of Social & Economic Research, Data & Methods (WISERD), Cardiff UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/743862017-03-16T11:25:44Z2017-03-16T11:25:44ZHow teaching philosophy could help combat extremism<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/160914/original/image-20170315-5364-o1drke.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Statue of the Greek philosopher Aristotle</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/statue-aristotle-great-greek-philosopher-421724455?src=BwGMA8NKLourlt17KdX8vA-1-1">Ververidis Vasilis/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Young people today are constantly at risk of indoctrination – whether deliberate or inadvertent. This can be by advertisers, politicians, religious extremists or the media – and can make it hard for young people to get a handle on the world around them. </p>
<p>But in this age of contradictory images and constant messages, I believe the teaching of philosophy can help young people think for themselves, challenge misinformation and resist attempts to indoctrinate them. This concept was touched upon by the British Council in its <a href="https://www.britishcouncil.org/organisation/policy-insight-research/insight/immunising-mind-%E2%80%93-education-and-extremism">2015 working paper</a> which concluded: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Young people need to be taught how to think to immunise their minds against ideologies that seek to teach them what to think.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The Department for Education’s <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/182675/DFE-RR119.pdf">own research in 2010</a> also suggested a link between philosophy for children and protection against indoctrination. </p>
<p>This is beacuse the teaching and study of philosophy can work towards these goals in an inclusive way. Whereas the government’s <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28939555">Prevent programme</a> – which aims to stop young people turning to extremism – has been criticised by some for being <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/dec/06/east-london-muslims-prevent-strategy">divisive</a> and “leading to a breakdown of trust in schools and colleges”.</p>
<h2>Misinformation</h2>
<p>The questioning and good reasoning fostered by philosophy are not just defences against specific attempts at indoctrination. </p>
<p>Indeed, in a world where the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160105-the-man-who-studies-the-spread-of-ignorance">deliberate spreading of misinformation</a> is commonplace, and the phrases “post-truth” and “alternative facts” appear with disturbing frequency, it is vital that schools do all they can to help young people analyse and reflect on what they hear. This should be done with clarity and precision, encouraging young people to make decisions based on rigorous arguments and examined evidence. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/160918/original/image-20170315-5328-lwb7y5.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/160918/original/image-20170315-5328-lwb7y5.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=442&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/160918/original/image-20170315-5328-lwb7y5.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=442&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/160918/original/image-20170315-5328-lwb7y5.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=442&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/160918/original/image-20170315-5328-lwb7y5.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=555&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/160918/original/image-20170315-5328-lwb7y5.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=555&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/160918/original/image-20170315-5328-lwb7y5.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=555&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">CNN tweet.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://twitter.com/CNN">Twitter</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>Philosophy can give young people the skills and confidence, not only to question and challenge purported facts but also to see through the current attempts in some quarters to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/18/donald-trump-attacks-press-dishonest-media-florida-rally">discredit the very notions of fact</a>, truth and expertise. </p>
<p>Analysing philosophical theories of what constitutes “reality” may also help young people to better understand the nature of virtual reality – making them better prepared to negotiate social media.</p>
<p>There is also the fact that freedom of expression and open debate are essential components of liberal democracy. And informed and well-reasoned free speech and debate among the current and future electorate is likely to improve the health of a democracy. It is also likely to improve the quality of service provided by a democracy’s politicians and public administrators. </p>
<p>Good philosophical practice also encourages listening skills. And it allows us to understand the points of view of people whose backgrounds and values may be very different from our own. Ultimately, philosophy can help to foster empathy. </p>
<h2>A flourishing life</h2>
<p>Philosophy, with it’s rich history of arguments and ideas allows young people to reflect on what constitutes a flourishing life – for both individuals and communities. A life in which potential is realised in a way that benefits all.
The techniques of reasoning that philosophy offers can help students to work out what needs to be done and to make ideas into reality. </p>
<p>The enjoyable and stimulating study and practice of philosophy can in itself be an important component of a flourishing life. The years we spend in school are not just a preparation for adulthood – crucial though that is. These years can and should also be fulfilling in themselves and philosophy can play an important role here.</p>
<p>The current state of the world is undeniably complex and turbulent. And philosophy can give young people sustaining goals to hang on to in these uncertain times. It can also help to provide them with the mental agility and clarity of thinking such times require. The call for more philosophy in our education system – including <a href="http://schoolsweek.co.uk/what-would-be-the-benefit-of-a-philosophy-gcse/">the introduction of a GCSE</a> – is one that we would be very wise to heed.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/74386/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Angela Hobbs is a Patron of the Philosophy in Education Project (PEP), and an Honorary Patron of the Philosophy Foundation. On Thursday 16th March she is speaking at the Philosophy in Education Conference at Cranleigh School. The conference aims to act as a catalyst to promote philosophical enquiry in the classroom in a number of ways, both examined and unexamined. It acknowledges that there are already excellent initiatives in this regard, Cranleigh Thinking being one of them (and the Philosophy Foundation and SAPERE amongst others), but believes that there is both room and urgent need for considerable further development. In particular, those in PEP are calling for the introduction of a GCSE in Philosophy. </span></em></p>It nurtures empathy and rational thought.Angie Hobbs, Professor of the Public Understanding of Philosophy, University of SheffieldLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/739852017-03-15T11:43:22Z2017-03-15T11:43:22ZYoung Muslims want to participate in politics – but prejudice and Islamophobia may be stopping them<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/160784/original/image-20170314-10751-fsnyjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption"></span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/milan-italy-november-21-muslim-community-342095108?src=s9S1S0zregu1bSiRpIaqZA-1-98">Tinxi/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Muslim youths tend to be portrayed as <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01419870903118122">politically disengaged</a> or potentially extremist. Debates about the <a href="https://theconversation.com/young-british-muslims-alienated-by-us-versus-them-rhetoric-of-counter-terrorism-46117">“war on terror”</a>, and US president Donald Trump’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-might-a-trump-presidency-mean-for-muslims-and-the-muslim-world-68662">immigration plans</a> are damaging how the world sees young Muslims today.</p>
<p>But the way that Muslim youth are being talked about in the media is only part of the story. That is why we spoke to 35 young Scottish Muslims about how they engage with political debates and stand up for their rights in a positive way. The majority of Muslim youths aged 15 to 27 who took part in <a href="https://research.ncl.ac.uk/media/sites/researchwebsites/youngmuslims/MuslimYouthScotland.pdf">our research</a> participate in public and political life. These young people are challenging the idea that they are a threat, or not interested. Instead, they are eager to engage.</p>
<p>However, while there were numerous passionate responses from our study participants, we also found that some young Muslims encounter specific challenges that have the potential to put them off politics. </p>
<p>Everyday <a href="https://theconversation.com/eight-ways-that-islamophobia-operates-in-everyday-life-64444">experiences of Islamophobia</a> and racism make public and political participation especially challenging. For some young Muslims, there is a fear that it could leave them open to racist hostility. Moreover, Islamophobia makes some anxious about appearing overly politicised. </p>
<p>Some young Muslim women in our study felt that they had to deal with multiple prejudices, too, based not only on their religion but also their <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/2043820616655018">gender</a>. Gender norms within communities and <a href="https://theconversation.com/hard-evidence-muslim-women-and-discrimination-in-britain-56446">stereotypes of Muslim women</a> – such as those associated <a href="https://theconversation.com/five-truths-about-the-hijab-that-need-to-be-told-63892">with the hijab</a> – were emphasised as potential barriers. </p>
<p>But despite this, we have found that young Muslims in Scotland, like many worldwide, are overwhelmingly keen to get involved in both local and global politics. Being interested in politics is not just about voting, or having an opinion. Though we did find that young Muslims participate in conventional electoral politics, many are also involved with social activism, volunteering and charity work. </p>
<h2>Scottish politics</h2>
<p>For the young Muslims we spoke to, Scottish electoral politics was seen as a key form of political participation. Despite the stereotype of Muslims not wanting to be <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1068/d60j">part of British life</a>, the politics of Scotland are of particular interest to many of the young Muslims living in the country.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/160968/original/image-20170315-5350-1z7fk2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/160968/original/image-20170315-5350-1z7fk2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/160968/original/image-20170315-5350-1z7fk2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/160968/original/image-20170315-5350-1z7fk2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/160968/original/image-20170315-5350-1z7fk2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=569&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/160968/original/image-20170315-5350-1z7fk2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=569&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/160968/original/image-20170315-5350-1z7fk2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=569&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Young Muslims are not disengaged from British society.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">John Gomez/Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Interestingly, the 2014 independence referendum, Scottish nationalism and the Scottish National Party have all <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0962629816301573">captured the attention</a> of many young Muslims. A Pakistani Muslim man from Glasgow told us that he thought the referendum “did wonders” in Scotland, because, like many young people <a href="http://www.referendumanalysis.eu/eu-referendum-analysis-2016/section-8-voters/did-the-eu-referendum-boost-youth-engagement-with-politics/">both Muslim and non-Muslim</a> he wasn’t interested in politics before it happened.</p>
<p>Some young Muslims we spoke to believe that the referendum has helped define what it is to be Scottish in a new multicultural society. Many interpreted Scottish nationalism and the possibility of Scottish independence quite differently to the recent comments made by the London Mayor <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/feb/25/sadiq-khan-nationalism-can-be-as-divisive-as-bigotry-and-racism">Sadiq Khan</a>. </p>
<p>He warned that Scottish nationalism could be as divisive as racism and religious intolerance. But young Muslims consider Scottish independence as a progressive idea. One Muslim woman from Edinburgh told us:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I find it has been really inclusive. It’s not about the colour of your skin, and it’s not about where you come from, it’s about what you want for Scotland.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Framing Scottish nationalism in this way was an important factor in motivating young Muslims to engage in electoral politics. It was a political movement many felt they could support and be involved in. Whether they were for or against, everyone could voice their opinion on the independence referendum, regardless of race or religion.</p>
<h2>Activism, charity and volunteering</h2>
<p>Politics for these Muslims goes beyond the mainstream big issues, and indeed beyond conventional politics. From the 35 we spoke to, we found that the most frequently engaged with forms of activism included protest marching, awareness-raising events and internet activism. Like many young people of all backgrounds, their political concerns were wide-reaching. </p>
<p>Global issues – such as the refugee crisis, concerns about human rights and anti-war activism – came up in discussion. At the same time, more local matters such as concerns about poverty in Scotland, food banks and <a href="https://theconversation.com/trident-missile-failure-just-how-safe-is-the-uks-nuclear-deterrent-71744">the Trident nuclear deterrent</a> were on the minds of the study participants, too. </p>
<p>For these young Muslims, engaging with public life went further, into charity, community and <a href="http://theconversation.com/we-are-not-going-to-sit-on-the-periphery-how-australian-muslims-enact-their-citizenship-47851">volunteering work</a>. The majority of participants volunteered or did some form of charitable work. The activities were varied, ranging from fund-raising for international causes to local community work such as street cleaning. </p>
<p>For some, political participation is a way to respond and challenge difficult prejudices. Understandably, though, prejudices make others cautious about pursuing an interest in politics. Despite our positive findings, young Muslims are willing to play a much bigger role in public and political life in Scotland. But for that to happen, society needs to overcome Islamophobia, racism and other stereotypes about Muslim young people.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/73985/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Hopkins has received funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council in the UK. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Robin Finlay does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Researchers spoke to young Muslims about how they engage with politics and their community.Peter Hopkins, Professor of Social Geography, Newcastle UniversityRobin Finlay, Research Associate, Newcastle UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/602562016-06-06T04:39:21Z2016-06-06T04:39:21ZElection FactCheck: could a vote among under 30s in Australia possibly deliver a Greens prime minister?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/124708/original/image-20160601-1425-141hay7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Was Richard Di Natale right about voting intentions among under 30s?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Q&A</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><strong>The Conversation is fact-checking claims made on Q&A, broadcast Mondays on the ABC at 9:35pm. Thank you to everyone who sent us quotes for checking via <a href="http://www.twitter.com/conversationEDU">Twitter</a> using hashtags #FactCheck and #QandA, on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/conversationEDU">Facebook</a> or by <a href="mailto:checkit@theconversation.edu.au">email</a>.</strong></p>
<hr>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3Y9fXRjzhzg?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Excerpt from Q&A, May 30, 2016. Watch from 2:24 for the statement being fact checked.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<blockquote>
<p>If there was a vote amongst people who are under 30 in Australia, there’d possibly be a Greens prime minister. – Greens leader Richard Di Natale, speaking on Q&A, May 30, 2016.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Greens leader Richard Di Natale told Q&A that if there was a vote among people aged under 30 in Australia, there would possibly be a Greens prime minister.</p>
<p>Is he right?</p>
<h2>Checking the poll data</h2>
<p>Asked for a source to back up Di Natale’s statement on Q&A, a spokeswoman said</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Published Ipsos polling regularly shows our vote matching it with the other parties amongst young voters.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The spokeswoman pointed to two Fairfax Ipsos polls released over the past few months: one <a href="http://ipsos.com.au/fairfax/turnbull-continues-to-haemorrhage-support/">from April</a> and another <a href="http://ipsos.com.au/fairfax/the-turnbull-honeymoon-fades-but-shorten-makes-little-progress/">from February</a>.</p>
<p>(You can view the Greens’ spokeswoman’s <a href="http://theconversation.com/full-response-from-a-spokeswoman-for-richard-di-natale-60544">full response to The Conversation here</a>.)</p>
<p>Those April and February poll results are shown below in tweets from poll-watcher <a href="https://twitter.com/GhostWhoVotes">Ghost Who Votes</a>.</p>
<p>The April poll did show the Greens doing well among 18-24 year olds, scoring 32% of the vote in this age group. Labor, in this poll, had 33%.</p>
<p>However, these polls have a total sample of about 1,400, and the 18-24 subset is very small. In any case, Di Natale’s claim was about those <em>under 30</em>, not under 25. </p>
<p>In the 25-39 year old range in the April poll cited by Di Natale’s spokeswoman, the Greens vote is 17%.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"721833060640038912"}"></div></p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"698980485880373248"}"></div></p>
<p>However, subsequent poll data from both Fairfax-Ipsos and Newspoll (some of which was released before and some just after this episode of Q&A aired) indicates that Di Natale has exaggerated the level of support for the Greens among younger voters. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ci8BhyYUgAEp9LI.jpg">May 17-19 Fairfax-Ipsos</a> poll has a high Greens vote (14%) relative to other polls, but Labor is clearly in first place among young voters, with the Coalition second and the Greens a distant third. </p>
<p>Even among 18-24 year olds, the Greens have only 25% in the May 17-19 Fairfax-Ipsos poll (below), with Labor on 36% and the Coalition 32%.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"733806945904140288"}"></div></p>
<p>April-May <a href="http://resources.news.com.au/files/2016/05/30/1227888/172704-160531analysis.pdf">Newspoll breakdowns</a> show the same thing; the Greens in Newspoll are at only 16% among 18-34 year olds, with Labor on 38% and the Coalition 33%.</p>
<p>A June poll by Fairfax Ipsos (released <em>after</em> Di Natale made the statement on Q&A) puts support for the Greens among 18-24 year olds at 27%.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"738867732968443904"}"></div></p>
<p>For the Greens to be in an election-winning position among the under 30s, they would need to be ahead of Labor. But both Ipsos and Newspoll have Labor ahead of the Greens among young voters.</p>
<h2>Using Newspoll data to calculate Greens support among under 30s</h2>
<p>The Ipsos breakdowns are for only one poll, with a total sample of 1,500. The Newspoll breakdowns have a much larger total sample of over 6,800. Newspoll has the Greens at 16% for the 18–34 age group.</p>
<p>However, Di Natale’s claim relates to those below 30 (that is, the 18–29 group). We cannot directly calculate the Greens percentage for 18–29 year olds, but we can assume a Greens percentage for 30–34 year olds, and calculate the 18–29 vote from
that assumption.</p>
<p>There are 17 total years in the 18–34 range. I have assumed that any age is as
likely to be interviewed as any other within that group. There are then 12
years in the 18–29 group, and 5 in the 30–34 group.</p>
<p>Let <em>x</em> be the Greens percent among 18–29 year olds, and <em>y</em> be the Greens
percent among 30–34 year olds. We know that the overall figure must sum to
16%.</p>
<p><em>x</em> is multiplied by (12/17), and <em>y</em> by (5/17) to get the correct weights
of these percentages.</p>
<p>We have:</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/124910/original/image-20160602-1951-11kpebx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/124910/original/image-20160602-1951-11kpebx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/124910/original/image-20160602-1951-11kpebx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=283&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/124910/original/image-20160602-1951-11kpebx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=283&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/124910/original/image-20160602-1951-11kpebx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=283&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/124910/original/image-20160602-1951-11kpebx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/124910/original/image-20160602-1951-11kpebx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/124910/original/image-20160602-1951-11kpebx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Rearranging to make <em>x</em> the subject gives:</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/124911/original/image-20160602-9732-159wtso.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/124911/original/image-20160602-9732-159wtso.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/124911/original/image-20160602-9732-159wtso.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=359&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/124911/original/image-20160602-9732-159wtso.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=359&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/124911/original/image-20160602-9732-159wtso.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=359&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/124911/original/image-20160602-9732-159wtso.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/124911/original/image-20160602-9732-159wtso.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/124911/original/image-20160602-9732-159wtso.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the highly unrealistic case that the Greens have zero support among those
aged 30–34, their support among 18–29 year olds would still only be 23%. </p>
<p>A more realistic figure is that the Greens have 10% support among those aged
30–34. If that is used, they have 19% among those aged 18–29.</p>
<h2>Verdict</h2>
<p>Given the data above on the latest poll numbers, Richard Di Natale’s claim that “if there was a vote amongst people who are under 30 in Australia, there’d possibly be a Greens prime minister” is exaggerated. <strong>– Adrian Beaumont</strong></p>
<hr>
<p><em><strong>Editor’s note to readers:</strong> The Conversation’s <a href="http://www.poynter.org/2016/should-journalists-outsource-fact-checking-to-academics/391230/">standard FactCheck process</a> is to ask an academic expert to test claims, and then ask a second academic to review an anonymous copy of the article. But this FactCheck involved both political and mathematical calculations. So in the interests of fairness and accuracy, we sought two blind reviews of this verdict: one from a political lecturer, the other from a mathematician.</em></p>
<h2>Review</h2>
<p>Senator Di Natale has a highly idiosyncratic reading of the polls, to say the least.</p>
<p>If going by the numbers supplied by the Greens spokesperson, the Greens sit on 32% behind Labor on 33% for the 18-24. </p>
<p>Senator Di Natale’s must assume either (1) the Greens were in a 1% range of beating Labor in a first-past-the-post (or plurality) fight; or (2) that Liberals of this age group would tend to send their preferences to the Greens rather than to Labor. We don’t have a first-past-the-post system (which Di Natale knows).</p>
<p>So presumably, he was thinking Liberal preferences would break his way. But many Liberals are very antagonistic to preferencing the Greens over Labor. </p>
<p>The Greens have <a href="http://greens.org.au/no-deal">denied</a> existence of a preference deal with the Liberals and there’s no hard evidence of a Liberal decision across the nation to preference the Greens over Labor.</p>
<p>ABC election analyst Antony Green has <a href="http://blogs.abc.net.au/antonygreen/2016/05/liberal-preferences-and-green-prospects-at-the-2016-election.html">shown</a> that Liberal preferences went 67% to Labor and only 33% to the Greens at the 2013 election. </p>
<p>Overall, my argument concurs with that of the fact checker. Di Natale’s statement is unrealistic. <strong>– Mark Rolfe</strong></p>
<hr>
<p>I have reviewed the article and I find the author’s conclusions to be reasonably supported by available evidence. The calculations assume equal voter population for each year of age. I have performed my own calculations using Australian Bureau of Statistics population data and this assumption seems reasonable. </p>
<p>Even if we do not assume equal population size for each year of age, the calculations change very little. I would also add the statement cannot be fully confirmed or refuted as there is no data solely for 18-29 year old voters, although this analysis suggests confirmation is unlikely. <strong>– Jake Olivier</strong></p>
<hr>
<p><div class="callout">Have you ever seen a “fact” worth checking? The Conversation’s FactCheck asks academic experts to test claims and see how true they are. We then ask a second academic to review an anonymous copy of the article. You can request a check at checkit@theconversation.edu.au. Please include the statement you would like us to check, the date it was made, and a link if possible.</div></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/60256/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Greens leader Richard Di Natale told Q&A that if there was a vote among people who are under 30 in Australia, there’d possibly be a Greens prime minister. What do the polls say?Adrian Beaumont, PhD Student, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/593032016-05-12T20:04:33Z2016-05-12T20:04:33ZLecturers: encourage your students to enrol and vote in the election<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/122226/original/image-20160512-18135-1h24v7f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Many young people are not engaging in the most fundamental of all democratic rights: voting. </span> </figcaption></figure><p>University-aged students in Australia are missing from the electoral roll in large numbers. </p>
<p>The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) recently <a href="http://www.aec.gov.au/Enrolling_to_vote/Enrolment_stats/elector_count/2016/elector-count-3-2016.pdf">released data</a> that suggests that 18% of 18-24 year olds are not registered to vote. </p>
<p>The largest non-enrolled group is the youngest, with a staggering 48% of 18-year-olds and nearly 24% of 19-year-olds not enrolled.</p>
<p>This data on enrolment rates needs to be set alongside population data.</p>
<h2>Young people under-represented</h2>
<p>According to <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/3101.0Jun%202015?OpenDocument">the Australian Bureau of Statistics</a> (ABS), in 2015 there were 140,000 more people aged over 70 than there were aged 24 and under. </p>
<p>But <a href="http://www.aec.gov.au/Enrolling_to_vote/Enrolment_stats/elector_count/2016/elector-count-3-2016.pdf">AEC statistics from March 2016</a> reveal there are 725,340 more grey-haired voters over 70 than there are youthful voters under 24.</p>
<p>What these statistics show is that young people in Australia are disproportionally under-represented on the electoral roll. </p>
<p>They are not engaging in the most fundamental of all democratic rights: voting. </p>
<p>In doing so they are reducing their electoral leverage at a time <a href="https://theconversation.com/policy-primers-what-you-need-to-know-for-election-2016-58650">when generational issues</a> should be high on the political agenda.</p>
<h2>Why this matters</h2>
<p>This matters for two reasons. </p>
<p>First, young people have a lot at stake when it comes to current political decisions. </p>
<p>In her recent book, <a href="http://www.blackincbooks.com/books/generation-less">Generation Less: How Australia is Cheating the Young</a>, Jennifer Rayner points out that today’s young Australians are the first generation since the Great Depression to be worse off than their parents.</p>
<p>When it comes to work, young people find it harder to get a foot in the door and harder to advance when they do. </p>
<p>Rayner quotes ABS figures that reveal that the number of young people working in casualised employment has risen from 34% in 1992 to 50% in 2013. </p>
<p>Over the same period wage growth for young people has dropped well behind that of older workers. </p>
<p>As Rayner shows, average incomes for people in their 20s have grown at less than half the rate of people in their mid-50s. And with these older workers staying on longer in their jobs, the prospects of advancement are significantly curtailed as well. While this can mean flexibility for some, it more often means vulnerability, exploitation and uncertainty.</p>
<p>Poorer work prospects make it doubly hard for young people to enter an increasingly unaffordable housing market. This is especially the case for those carrying another kind of debt, from which previous generations were exempt, and that is higher education loans. </p>
<p>Waiting longer to buy a first home, or not being able to afford one at all, has lifelong consequences. It makes harder the kind of risk-taking necessary for entrepreneurship or starting a small business. And it either means being saddled with debt well into your 60s, or entering them without the financial investment that for many people home ownership represents. </p>
<p>This magnifies the problem fashioned by insecure work, of the generational disparity in the relative size of superannuation savings.</p>
<p>And then there is environmental policy – an issue in which young people have a real and long-term stake.</p>
<h2>“Lopsided” society</h2>
<p>Jessica Rayner talks about the emergence of a “lopsided Australia where young and old live differently”. </p>
<p>In part this generational inequality is a consequence of global demographic, technological and economic forces that have come together at the start of the 21st century. </p>
<p>But these forces are too often exacerbated rather than mitigated by policy measures. If young people are going to build a fairer future for themselves and coming generations, argues Rayner, they are going to have to get involved.</p>
<p>And this leads to the second reason that the under-representation of young people on the electoral roll is a problem. </p>
<p>If we want a strong and representative democracy we need young people to participate in it. We need them to believe their voice matters in the future of this country and we need that voice to be heard. </p>
<p>Our political institutions work better when we all care about them: their health is in the hands of those who will inherit them.</p>
<h2>Crucial role of universities</h2>
<p>Universities have a crucial role in building a participatory democracy. One of the ways they do this is by teaching students to engage in robust and thoughtful discussion. </p>
<p>Every day in the classroom, be it mathematics or anthropology, university lecturers foster respectful cultures of disagreement and impart tools of argument and evidence, which teach students to be informed participants in public debate.</p>
<p>Beyond the classroom, students put these skills into action. On the sports field, in the university bar and in the myriad clubs and societies on campus, universities provide opportunities for student participation and leadership that they will carry throughout their lives. </p>
<p>This civic role is one of the reasons universities have long been <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-do-we-value-universities-40005">valued as public institutions</a> that encourage students to be active and engaged citizens. </p>
<p>There are, of course, a wide variety of ways that students enact this citizenship, and many views they express in the process. But one of the ways they participate needs to be via the most fundamental of democratic processes and that is our voting system.</p>
<p>We need our young people to have a voice in our formal democratic processes. Not only will current political decisions have long-term consequences for their lives, but our political institutions and our society will be stronger for their participation in it.</p>
<h2>Must enrol by May 23</h2>
<p>Australians have until May 23 to enrol to vote in the 2016 election. </p>
<p>The AEC has made this process really easy with <a href="http://www.aec.gov.au/enrol/">a simple online enrolment form</a>. All that is needed is evidence of identity, such as a driver’s licence or Australian passport number, and a residential address.</p>
<p>University lecturers can help to ensure this happens.</p>
<p>Attending university is one of the factors causing young people to drop off the electoral roll. When they move out of the family home for study or work, the AEC loses track of them and, without a shared culture of participation, it can be hard to get them back.</p>
<h2>Appeal to lecturers</h2>
<p>Ask your students if they are enrolled to vote. Tell them about the statistics at the start of this article and get them to <a href="https://oevf.aec.gov.au/">check their enrolment in class</a>. Download this infographic slide below to show at the start of your lectures.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/122400/original/image-20160512-16422-18q6xvo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/122400/original/image-20160512-16422-18q6xvo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/122400/original/image-20160512-16422-18q6xvo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=697&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122400/original/image-20160512-16422-18q6xvo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=697&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122400/original/image-20160512-16422-18q6xvo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=697&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122400/original/image-20160512-16422-18q6xvo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=876&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122400/original/image-20160512-16422-18q6xvo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=876&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122400/original/image-20160512-16422-18q6xvo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=876&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="attribution"><a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
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<p>In doing so you will be acting in the long tradition of the academic as public intellectual: a scholar who not only contributes their expertise to public debate, but also a scholar who fosters that debate through a commitment to encouraging active participation in its processes and institutions.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/59303/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tamson Pietsch receives funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p>Young people have a lot at stake when it comes to current political decisions. Yet 48% of 18-year-olds and nearly 24% of 19-year-olds are not registered to vote.Tamson Pietsch, ARC DECRA Research Fellow, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/583832016-05-03T14:01:45Z2016-05-03T14:01:45ZYoung people are detached from politics – schools can be the solution<p>Young people have been <a href="https://theconversation.com/hate-the-players-love-the-game-why-young-people-arent-voting-40921">turned off politics</a>. Only four out of ten 18- to 24-year-olds made it to the ballot box in the last four general UK elections. In the last 20 years, the <a href="http://45forthe45th.com/youth-politics/">turnout gap</a> between young and older voters has doubled from about 10 to 20 percentage points. </p>
<p>Many <a href="http://www.citizenshipfoundation.org.uk/main/page.php?360">political</a>, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/apr/19/why-young-people-dont-vote-apathy-or-antipathy-election-2015">media</a> and <a href="http://www.palgrave.com/us/book/9780230001312">academic</a> commentators have tried to understand why today’s youth seems more and more detached from public life – and what can be done to get them back in. Drawing on our <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11109-016-9341-0">recent study</a> looking at children’s political engagement in Belgium, we found a simple answer: young people need to be taught more about politics in school.</p>
<p>Political philosopher <a href="https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/8454069/Levinson%20The%20Civic%20Empowerment%20Gap.pdf?sequence=1">Meira Levinson</a> has coined the idea of a “civic empowerment gap”: not everyone is equal when it comes to politics. The source of this gap is economic. Or as the political scientist <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=aVtfu6ITpi4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=Unequal+democracy:+The+political+economy+of+the+new+gilded+age&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjxspuGhIfMAhUCvRQKHU-iC1sQ6AEIHTAA#v=onepage&q=Unequal%20democracy%3A%20The%20political%20economy%20of%20the%20new%20gilded%20age&f=false">Larry Bartels</a> puts it: “Political influence seems to be limited entirely to affluent and middle-class people”.</p>
<p>The key to close the civic empowerment gap is to engage future generations of voters in politics so that they can become active citizens. </p>
<h2>Parents, school and politics</h2>
<p>Researchers have established that <a href="http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=5962112&fileId=S0022381609090719">family</a> plays an important role in socialising children into politics. Some parents deliberately teach their children about politics. Children also often imitate their parents’ socio-political values and <a href="http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=9345153&fileId=S0007123413000033">voting behaviour</a>. The socio-economic environment in which children grow up plays an important role, too. In homes full of books, children often learn more about the world, which better equips them to have an active part in it.</p>
<p>There is no doubt that children from political families get a head start when it comes to their own political interest and activism. But for children who do not have the advantage of learning about politics at home, civic education at school has an important influence on <a href="http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED493710">young people’s political orientations</a>. </p>
<p>In a <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11109-016-9341-0">new study</a> following 3,000 young Belgians between the ages of 14 and 23, we showed that civic education can compensate for the “civic empowerment gap” between young people from privileged and impoverished backgrounds. </p>
<p>In Belgium, formal civic education typically includes lessons about the working of formal institutions such as the Belgian parliament, the European Union or the UN. Children also often discuss current affairs and elections. This is very similar to the content of <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/239060/SECONDARY_national_curriculum_-_Citizenship.pdf">civics courses</a> in other countries such as the UK.</p>
<h2>Making political minds</h2>
<p>In <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11109-016-9341-0">our study</a>, we were able to track the family environment of the 3,000 children, for example how often they discussed politics with their parents, and their family’s socio-economic background. We also knew about their school environment and the type of civic education they received. We then measured their political engagement using an index of their interest in politics, discussion about politics and whether they followed politics in the news. </p>
<p>The graph below shows the impact of civic education on the political engagement of four different types of young people. The black lines plot the political engagement for children from privileged families that prepare them to be active citizens. The red lines are for children from homes where politics does not play a role – the groups who we would expect to be disadvantaged. As the graph shows, at the age of 14, children from apolitical family backgrounds (red lines) are much less politically engaged.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/120677/original/image-20160429-10477-7hi3su.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/120677/original/image-20160429-10477-7hi3su.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/120677/original/image-20160429-10477-7hi3su.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/120677/original/image-20160429-10477-7hi3su.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/120677/original/image-20160429-10477-7hi3su.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/120677/original/image-20160429-10477-7hi3su.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/120677/original/image-20160429-10477-7hi3su.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/120677/original/image-20160429-10477-7hi3su.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Political engagement by parental socialisation and formal civic education in Belgium.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Neundorf/Niemi/Smets</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The graph also distinguishes between those who received formal civic education (solid lines) and those who did not have school education in politics (dashed lines). Children from apolitical families might start out very disengaged, but civic education in school gives them a proper boost. By the age of 21, they have caught up with their peers from very political families and show similar levels of political engagement. We unfortunately also see that children from disadvantaged family backgrounds who did not profit from civic education in school are permanently left behind in their political engagement.</p>
<p>We found that the amount of formal civic education and the inclusion of group projects had the most influence on the young people’s political engagement. The classroom climate – for example, whether children felt encouraged to develop and express their own opinions, and felt that their teacher presented different points of view – did not play a role. </p>
<h2>Empowering young people</h2>
<p>Our research confirms that civic education can be key to the development and maintenance of a democratic system in which all citizens have the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to understand and influence their government. In order to reduce the civic empowerment gap, everyone should be part of an enlightened citizenry. </p>
<p>Schools play a crucial role in creating and maintaining civic equality. After all, as a society there is not much we can do about the way parents influence their children at home. But we do have the power to design school education in a way that empowers those that are disadvantaged by their family background.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/58383/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anja Neundorf receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council. This article does not represent the views of the research councils. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kaat Smets does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A new study of young Belgians shows the power of a political education.Anja Neundorf, Assistant Professor in Politics and Research Methods, University of NottinghamKaat Smets, Senior Lecturer in Politics (Quantitative Methods), Royal Holloway University of LondonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/541142016-03-03T03:14:49Z2016-03-03T03:14:49ZDoes Australia need a Queer History Month?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/113650/original/image-20160303-10377-1scds9i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Queer history is celebrated in the United States, so why not Australia?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ronald Woan</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Over the past few weeks, there have been <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/the-responsible-thing-malcolm-turnbull-defends-safe-schools-review-20160301-gn7c65.html">heated discussions</a> around what people learn about sexuality and gender at school. In some ways it has reminded me of the 1970s moral panic that occurred after the publication of <a href="http://dehanz.net.au/entries/young-gay-proud-1978/">Young, Gay and Proud</a> (written by the Melbourne-based Gay Teachers and Students Group). That was almost 40 years ago. </p>
<p>When I think back to my experiences of sex ed at school in the late 1980s and early 1990s, I don’t remember it being very helpful. At primary school, my teacher told us that if we ate a lot of beetroot our urine might turn red, but that we shouldn’t be alarmed because that would be normal.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/113653/original/image-20160303-10366-1fq8gfb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/113653/original/image-20160303-10366-1fq8gfb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/113653/original/image-20160303-10366-1fq8gfb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=840&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113653/original/image-20160303-10366-1fq8gfb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=840&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113653/original/image-20160303-10366-1fq8gfb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=840&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113653/original/image-20160303-10366-1fq8gfb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1056&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113653/original/image-20160303-10366-1fq8gfb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1056&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113653/original/image-20160303-10366-1fq8gfb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1056&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Baffling sexual education is a rite of passage.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock.</span></span>
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<p>In high school, they tried to teach us about the <a href="http://contraception.about.com/od/naturalmethods/f/billings.htm">Billings Method</a>. But it was hard to make sense of it all given that we hadn’t yet been taught much about menstruation or conception. It did, however, introduce me to some lavish new words (“viscosity”, anyone?) That was more or less all the formal sex ed I can remember. </p>
<p>Of course, I am not alone. Experiencing obscure sex ed is almost as much a rite of passage as sex itself. Historically, schools haven’t been great at teaching people sex ed, and, of course, they have struggled even more to offer relevant education to LGBTI students. </p>
<p>Often, people have sought to remedy this problem by arguing that diverse experiences of gender and sexuality need to be addressed in schools as <a href="http://www.acara.edu.au/news_media/news_archive/news_archive_(all).html">part of the health curriculum</a> (e.g. sexual health, mental health, anti-bullying, suicide prevention). </p>
<p>But what is striking about the recent discussions in relation to Safe Schools is how they are situated in a long history of anxieties about young people, schooling, gender and sexuality, although this history is seldom actively discussed. </p>
<p>For example, it is interesting to reflect on discussions earlier this year regarding efforts to stymie opportunities for queer young people to socialise together <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/feb/17/campaign-against-same-sex-school-formal-backfires-as-donations-roll-in">at a Same Sex Gender Diverse formal</a> in Melbourne. Such discussions are reframed when we consider them from a historical perspective, observing that young people have <a href="http://www3.slv.vic.gov.au/latrobejournal/issue/latrobe-87/t1-g-t6.html">been organising themselves for decades</a>. </p>
<p>These histories are rich and fascinating, and part of the Australian story. They beg the question of what schooling might look like if LGBTI matters weren’t only discussed in relation to health, but in terms of history and culture as well. Perceptions and experiences of sexuality and gender are much broader than health.</p>
<p>For some people, the question of including more information about sexuality and gender difference at school is a controversial issue; for others, it can help make life liveable. This debate is one that has many positions. But surely everyone can agree that we would be enriched by learning more about how people have grappled with similar questions in the past? </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/113651/original/image-20160303-10395-1jftmuj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/113651/original/image-20160303-10395-1jftmuj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=869&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113651/original/image-20160303-10395-1jftmuj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=869&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113651/original/image-20160303-10395-1jftmuj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=869&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113651/original/image-20160303-10395-1jftmuj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1092&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113651/original/image-20160303-10395-1jftmuj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1092&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113651/original/image-20160303-10395-1jftmuj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1092&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Holding the Man (2015).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Transmission Films</span></span>
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<p>In the 1970s, people did not have access to all of the histories we now have. Last year’s release of the film version of Timothy Conigrave’s memoir <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3671542/">Holding the Man</a> (2015) is a powerful example of how popular culture is making <a href="http://theblurb.com.au/reviews/neil-armfield-holding-the-man-interview/">histories of sexuality, gender, youth and schooling more readily accessible</a>. Sources like this encourage us to see the rich history that is largely an untapped resource in Australian schools.</p>
<p>Of course, across the country there is exciting work going on in and out of schools: education that engages the rich potential of queer history and culture in a range of formal and informal ways. Such approaches, however, can be ad hoc, under-resourced and vulnerable to a moral panic attack. </p>
<p>How can we strengthen this work? In 2012, I established the <a href="http://alga.org.au/education/queer-youth-education">Queer Youth Education Project</a> through which I have run free workshops on Australian queer history and culture with youth groups, youth workers, teachers and the general public. </p>
<p>In the <a href="http://lgbthistorymonth.org.uk">United Kingdom</a> and the <a href="http://www.lgbthistorymonth.com/">United States</a>, there are well-established LGBT or queer “history month” initiatives, which work in various ways to incorporate LGBT or queer history into the teaching and learning of history in general. </p>
<p>These initiatives raise many questions about what approaches could work for Australia, and this would be a useful discussion for us to have. The history taught in schools is often one which only appears to include heterosexual people, and when sexuality and gender difference is discussed it is often only in terms of health. An LGBTI or queer history month would draw attention to these things. </p>
<p>More than this, a Queer History Month could help teachers, young people, parents and communities work together to share ideas about how these issues could be addressed. </p>
<p>When this year’s Mardi Gras parade happens on Saturday, the marchers, revellers and spectators will be calling to mind the <a href="https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-on-the-sydney-mardi-gras-march-of-1978-54337">violence, celebration and struggle of that first march</a> almost four decades ago. </p>
<p>It is a call to each of us to reflect on the histories we inherit, even those parts we find painful and confronting. Since the 1970s Australia has, for the first time, welcomed a generation of young people growing up after Gay Liberation. </p>
<p>So much has changed so quickly: decriminalisation, increased public visibility of queer people, changes to the <a href="https://www.ag.gov.au/Publications/Pages/AustralianGovernmentGuidelinesontheRecognitionofSexandGender.aspx">recognition of gender identity and intersex status</a>, the expunging of <a href="http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/putting-right-past-prejudices-and-expunging-homosexual-convictions/">historical homosexual convictions</a>, and more.</p>
<p>And yet, at the same time, we find echoes of the past in the tenor of contemporary debate. By turning our attention to the past, perhaps we can all learn together about historical struggles over sexuality, gender and education in schools, and why for some there is so much at stake in this debate. </p>
<p>In the end, putting LGBTI or queer people and issues into the history that is taught at school might teach us all a bit more about the Australia that we live in today.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/54114/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Daniel Marshall was a past President of the Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives, and was previously an associate member of Safe Schools Coalition Victoria. </span></em></p>Australia has a vibrant, culturally rich, queer history and it should be acknowledged in our schools.Daniel Marshall, Senior Lecturer , Deakin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/490762015-10-15T05:33:00Z2015-10-15T05:33:00ZLessons from the student vote in UK election for the EU referendum<p>Students did not hold as much sway in the 2015 UK general election as was predicted, according to a new report from the <a href="http://www.hepi.ac.uk/">Higher Education Policy Institute</a> (HEPI) think tank. It argues that while the student vote was still important, it was swallowed up by wider national swings – towards the Conservatives and away from the Liberal Democrats. </p>
<p>While <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/public-leaders-network/2015/feb/05/missing-voters-individual-electoral-registration-disaster">changes to the electoral registration</a> for students did not have as negative an impact as some feared on voter turnout, HEPI warns that there are still challenges ahead for campaigners looking to get young people to vote in the upcoming EU referendum and the London mayoral race. </p>
<p>HEPI found that of 14 constituencies it <a href="http://www.hepi.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Do-students-swing-elections.pdf">had predicted</a> would be affected by the student vote, eight changed hands. For example, Kingston & Surbiton went from Liberal Democrat to Conservative, and Cambridge and Bristol West went Liberal Democrat to Labour. But the student effect didn’t always have an impact on results. Nicky Morgan, the Conservative education minister <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-32224818">was seen as vulnerable</a> in her Loughborough seat, but actually won with a 7.9% increase in the vote share. </p>
<h2>Pro EU? Plan your action now</h2>
<p><a href="http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/images/8/8b/Students_in_tertiary_education%2C_2012_%28%C2%B9%29_YB15.png">According to Eurostat</a>, the UK is home to around 2.5m students in tertiary education, more than any other EU country except Germany. Our students are numerous and <a href="http://www.icmunlimited.com/media-centre/media-centre/in-a-eu-referendum-two-fifths-of-18-to-24-year-olds-likely-to-vote-to-stay-in">far more likely to support EU membership</a> than older age groups. The EU has done a <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/eu-referendum-britains-students-are-stronger-in-europe-a6689056.html">particularly good job winning over students</a> with programmes such as Erasmus, to the extent that <a href="http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/michaelheaver/100225031/eurosceptics-face-a-demographic-timebomb-young-people-want-to-stay-in-the-eu-can-we-change-their-minds/">one UKIP campaigner</a> called young people a timebomb for Eurosceptics.</p>
<p>If the student bomb doesn’t go off, it is likely to be because of low registration and low turnout. For Eurosceptics, young people staying home is good news. If you want out of the EU, the message is simple: your best strategy is to hope for a referendum held during the holidays, preferably after a major sporting fixture, and for student registration to stay as low as possible. </p>
<p>For the “in” camp, students must be targeted and must be targeted now. Perhaps counter-intuitively, it would be a good strategy not to campaign for young votes with young issues. HEPI is correct to point out that young people <a href="http://www.demos.co.uk/files/Tune_in_-_web.pdf?1419813387">want the same things everyone else does</a>: a job with a reliable wage to live on, an affordable home, happiness and an equal opportunity. </p>
<p>The pro-EU camp should argue that the EU is a source of economic opportunity after students graduate. They should keep the vote simple. The referendum will, after all, be a well-publicised, clear yes/no choice, less mediated by the political elites young people distrust - it is a vote on a decision, not a vote for a politician.</p>
<p>They must also help students get registered. The rules on electoral registration do not suit students, who move house frequently, and who – until recent changes – could be registered by their university or college. Before the 2015 election <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/feb/24/million-voters-missing-roll-electoral-commission-students-block-individual-registration">the fear that students would fall off the register was well publicised</a> and HEPI identified a surge in last minute registrations, thanks in part to active Students Unions, the Election Commission, and pressure groups like <a href="http://bitetheballot.co.uk/">Bite the Ballot</a>. </p>
<p>If you’re pro-EU, plan now for registration drives. Don’t be put off by low registration: many students will register at the last minute, so push right up to the deadline. It will be especially interesting to see if the major graduate employers who support EU membership are ready to put effort into mobilising students to vote. </p>
<h2>Students and the London mayoral election</h2>
<p>According to HESA, <a href="https://www.hesa.ac.uk/stats">about 360,000, or 4% of the population of London, are students</a>, and the message for supporters of any candidate in the election must be clear: plan now for how you will drive for student registration, right up until election day on May 5. </p>
<p>HEPI’s pre-2015 election analysis indicated that students would swing constituencies, towards Labour or (in Brighton) towards the Greens. But although HEPI considered there was enough red among students to keep the Conservative majority down, they were struck – as many pollsters were – by the ability of the Conservative Party to win in the face of stiff predicted opposition. As for the Liberal Democrats, the party that celebrated a smashing victory among the young in 2010 was left for dead in 2015, falling behind the Greens, UKIP and the SNP among 18-to-24-year-olds.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/98266/original/image-20151013-31126-1gwt9rc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/98266/original/image-20151013-31126-1gwt9rc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/98266/original/image-20151013-31126-1gwt9rc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/98266/original/image-20151013-31126-1gwt9rc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/98266/original/image-20151013-31126-1gwt9rc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/98266/original/image-20151013-31126-1gwt9rc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/98266/original/image-20151013-31126-1gwt9rc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/98266/original/image-20151013-31126-1gwt9rc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="attribution"><span class="source">IPSOS Mori.</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<p>All candidates must realise that students, like young people generally, are disillusioned with public policy. Young people were the <a href="https://theconversation.com/www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/young-people-were-hit-worst-by-the-great-recession-10101672.html">worst hit by the recession</a>, and they have <a href="http://www.electionanalysis.uk/uk-election-analysis-2015/section-2-voters/bringing-out-the-youth-vote-young-people-and-the-2015-general-election/">borne the brunt of cuts in spending</a>, from the hike in tuition fees to the denial of housing benefit to young people. Students have suffered the same double whammy, but as HEPI indicates, they are focused on their transition to employment and to stable, independent adulthood. </p>
<p>This means candidates who want to court the student vote would be well advised to campaign on affordable housing and stable, well-paid work. Young people are <a href="https://theconversation.com/www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/lmac/contracts-with-no-guaranteed-hours/zero-hour-contracts--2014/analysis-of-employee-contracts-that-do-not-guarantee-a-minimum-number-of-hours.html">three times more likely to work on a zero hours contract</a> and their income <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/young-adults-income-has-suffered-the-most-from-the-uk-recession-latest-report-shows-9605971.html">fell further than any other age group during the recession</a>. </p>
<p>The mayoral race has already featured running battles on affordable housing and this will <a href="http://www.demos.co.uk/files/Tune_in_-_web.pdf?1419813387">pique the interest of students</a>. NHS funding and improved mental healthcare provision are also <a href="https://theconversation.com/hate-the-players-love-the-game-why-young-people-arent-voting-40921">both potential votewinners</a> among the young.</p>
<p>For both polls – the EU referendum and the London mayoral race – the message is clear. Students are a potentially powerful voting bloc, but campaigners need to make sure they are registered, and campaign on economic issues. That’s the golden ticket.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/49076/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Benjamin Bowman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Students didn’t hold that much sway at the election.Benjamin Bowman, PhD candidate in Politics, University of BathLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/447282015-07-15T14:54:05Z2015-07-15T14:54:05ZMhairi Black goes viral: how Britain’s youngest MP became a political star<p>Mhairi Black is making history. In 24 hours, the maiden speech of the Scottish National Party’s MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South has been watched almost 3.5 million times <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Channel4News/videos/10153075784641939/">on the Channel 4 Facebook page alone</a>. At 20 years of age, Britain’s <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/SNP/11591144/SNPs-Mhairi-Black-becomes-Britains-youngest-MP-since-1667-after-defeating-Douglas-Alexander.html">youngest MP since 1667</a> spoke with wit and power. Even the Daily Mail, a newspaper that seldom praises the SNP, called Black’s speech <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3161099/Britain-s-youngest-MP-shows-em-s-Applause-Commons-SNP-s-Mhairi-Black-20-uses-maiden-speech-tear-Tories-Labour.html?ito=social-twitter_dailymailUK">one of the best of the year</a>.</p>
<p>For today, at least, she is Britain’s political superstar. But what can we learn from our youngest MP about the prospects for young people in parliament and the representation of young voters during this parliamentary term?</p>
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<h2>Young people need champions</h2>
<p>Mhairi Black takes her seat at a time when parliament could <a href="https://www.ipsos-mori.com/researchpublications/researcharchive/3504/Politicians-trusted-less-than-estate-agents-bankers-and-journalists.aspx">scarcely be more distrusted</a> by the population it serves. Although her wit raised a laugh, she made an important point about the distance young voters perceive between themselves and the politicians who represent them in policy:</p>
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<p>My housing is subsidised by the state … but in this budget the Chancellor abolished any housing benefit for anyone under the age of 21. We are now in the ridiculous situation whereby, because I am an MP, not only am I the youngest, but I am also the only 20-year-old in the whole of the UK who the chancellor is prepared to help with housing.</p>
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<p>Black is right. We let young people suffer the worst of the recession. We are now leaving them out of the economic recovery. Britain is blessed with an educated, well-connected generation of young people who are <a href="http://www.demos.co.uk/files/Tune_in_-_web.pdf?1419813387">deeply concerned about the cost of living and affordable housing</a>.</p>
<p>Before the election, I wrote that Britain is right to worry that the young generation is an abstention generation, but that the answer to young abstention is showing them a vote can <a href="https://theconversation.com/hate-the-players-love-the-game-why-young-people-arent-voting-40921">provide effective representation and power over policy</a>. Too often, political parties leave young politics in the <a href="http://www.democraticaudit.com/?p=6169">youth wing</a>. Mhairi Black can help bring young policy to the centre of debate.</p>
<h2>Young people need an opposition</h2>
<p>Invoking the words Labour giant Tony Benn, Mhari Black called for Labour and the SNP to work together in opposition, saying:</p>
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<p>Let us come together. Let us be that opposition. Let us be that signpost of a better society.</p>
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<p>Many young voters are likely to share the sentiment. And Black is correct by identifying housing as a vital issue. In 1990, a third of first-time buyers were under 25. In 2015, <a href="http://www.cih.org/news-article/display/vpathDCR/templatedata/cih/news-article/data/Four_big_issues_raised_by_100000_starter_homes_plan">the figure has fallen to 16%</a>. If this economy is to fully recover, we must not continue to keep its youngest workers unhoused and underpaid: and we need political parties to put young people’s needs at the forefront.</p>
<p>It is important to note that despite promises of a “<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/oct/02/tory-housing-benefit-under-25-david-cameron-tory-conference">land of opportunity</a>” for the young, the fact is that, for many young people, work does not pay. Poverty has risen to 31.5% for 16 to 25-year-olds, who have been hit hard by <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/the-young-arethe-new-poor-sharp-increase-in-the-number-of-under25s-living-in-poverty-while-over65s-are-better-off-than-ever-9878722.html">a change in the work market away from permanent work to temporary and zero-hours contracts</a> that pay wages lower than they can live on. </p>
<p>Young people are now <a href="https://theconversation.com/www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/lmac/contracts-with-no-guaranteed-hours/zero-hour-contracts--2014/analysis-of-employee-contracts-that-do-not-guarantee-a-minimum-number-of-hours.html">three times more likely</a> to work on a zero-hours contract. Income for young adults fell further during the recession than for any other age group: among young people in work between 2007 and 2014, real median pay fell 15%, <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/young-adults-income-has-suffered-the-most-from-the-uk-recession-latest-report-shows-9605971.html">compared to 6% for older workers</a>.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, our response has been to cut young people out of housing benefit entirely – and to replace Jobseeker’s Allowance for 18 to 21-year-olds looking for work, with a youth allowance scheme, <a href="https://theconversation.com/www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-29398907">enforcing 30 hours compulsory labour for a £57.35 per week</a>, equating to about £1.91 per hour. We should hope that Mhairi Black represents a new opposition ready to put support for young people at the centre of the recovery.</p>
<h2>A voice for young women</h2>
<p>Mhairi Black is the youngest MP and, as such she must work to help unravel the web of distrust and scandal that parliament has woven around itself since the 1990s. Abstention has become <a href="https://theconversation.com/hate-the-players-love-the-game-why-young-people-arent-voting-40921">the majority act</a> of young voters at UK elections. If we want to bring young people back into the electoral decision, we have to provide them competent, convincing candidates. Mhairi Black is just the sort of person who has historically been missing from this country’s highest decision making body.</p>
<p>Black represents Britain’s young people as they are. She comes from a working class family, she is a football fan and she has had her <a href="https://twitter.com/mhairiblack?lang=en">Twitter account</a> pulled apart for <a href="http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/we-enjoyed-reading-mhairi-blacks-nsfw-tweets-as-a-teenager--xyvV8th3lb">swearwords and slang</a>. She is articulate, intelligent and able. She has <a href="http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/steerpike/2015/07/exclusive-top-scottish-academic-speaks-out-over-mhairi-black-slut-tweet/">suffered slurs and sexism</a> and carried on ever stronger. If Mhairi Black wants to, she can stand as a symbol for the young people of Britain.</p>
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<p>We should recognise that Mhairi Black is especially important as a member of the female majority of our population who are represented by just <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/may/08/record-numbers-female-minority-ethnic-mps-commons">29% of MPs</a>. Young women face specific disadvantages in political participation, ranging from <a href="http://www.democraticaudit.com/?p=4904">the gender pay gap to access to higher education</a>. </p>
<p>We need more young people in power, and specifically young women in power across our political institutions. As a democratic representative for that dangerously under-represented group, Mhairi Black is exactly what parliament needs.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/44728/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Benjamin Bowman receives funding from the ESRC.</span></em></p>Her maiden speech has gone viral, but what Black does next for young people is what matters.Benjamin Bowman, PhD candidate in Politics, University of BathLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.