Politics: Changing viewpoints in American Youth
This cat is irrelevant. Enjoy it anyway. The comparison of politics allows us an insight into the minds of young people by showing what issues they cared about. Information like voter turnout and active military age can show who cared about what. A comparison between important events such as the fall of the Berlin Wall and 9/11 and their reactions and fallout also provide important insight to go beyond simple comparison, and enable us to answer the question: What is on the mind of America's youth today?
Politics: 1980's Voters
The presidential election of 1980 was characterized by a low voter turnout. During the 1980 election, less than 55% of eligible voters actually voted in the election. This indicates that many young people may have not felt like voting was incredibly important at the time. My dad, who was a young adult serving in the military at this time, says he has only voted once, for Reagan in 1984. Many adults may feel similarly, jaded because they have watched the government grow and succeed, but also fail. They understand more than we do that the government does a better job of sitting around than it does of accomplishing anything. Information did not pass as freely as it did today, even though the 1980's saw the beginning of the internet and mass media.
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Politics: Modern Day Voters
Voter turnout in the modern day is very different. Voter turnout is much higher, and continuing to increase. In 2012, over 65% of eligible voters voted in the presidential election. This indicates that more and more young people are becoming interested in politics. Social networking and increased advertisements are reaching more people to convince them that their vote is important. Information is easily accessible to anyone who wants it, making many people would-be amateur political theorists. Politics is a more polarizing issue than ever. Many young people seem to still believe in the power of government as an instrument of the people. Perhaps over time this attitude of belief in government will change. That remains to be seen.
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Taken from http://elections.gmu.edu/voter_turnout.htm to illustrate voter turnout. The green line is the eligible voter count. As you can see, voter turnout is close to approaching levels in the 60's and 70's, both decades full of political action and events.
What can we learn?
I almost couldn't believe the data at first, but it would seem that people my age actually care more about politics than my parents did when they were young. Where does this concern with politics rank with other areas of our lives? Many seem to think young people are mostly interested in the latest fashion and commercial trends. Why the increased interest? Does it stem from more information and conversation about politics, or the way news networks blast us constantly with updates and more information? Whatever the case, voter turnout continues to rise each year, putting politicians at the forefront of young people's minds.