Skip to content

Elders Ask “Why Don’t Young People Vote?”

parliamentAcross the western world, one of the greatest concerns of the Lucky Few was providing a social safety net for future generations, something which had been non-existent for them. Advancing security for the most vulnerable, and putting an end to poverty and inequality for future generations were their proudest achievements. Harry Smith, in his new book, “Harry’s Last Stand”, outlines these efforts:

“My generation never forgot the cruelty of the Great Depression or the savagery of the Second World War. We promised ourselves and our children that no one in this country would ever succumb to hunger. We pledged that no child would be left behind because of poverty. We affirmed that education, decent housing and proper wages were a right that all our citizens deserved, no matter their class.”

Yet, now, Smith fears, those advances are in danger. More frightening, he claims, the younger generation is cynical about the legacy left to them, and is not prepared to make any effort to preserve the services that make their lives safe and tenable. Voting patterns among the young are telling:

Britain
A recent Ipsos MORI study reports:

“Patterns of turnout remain relatively unchanged, with concerning implications for the future of democratic engagement.  There appears to be no significant increase in turnout among young people, with 18-24s almost half as likely to vote as those aged 65 (43% vs 78%; in 2010 estimated turnout for 18-24s was 44%).”

Canada
Here, an equally dismal voting record among young people prevails, as a 2013 Barnes Vergint study concludes:

“A precipitous decline in electoral participation by those eligible to vote in their first one or two elections began after the 1984 federal general election. Despite a small increase in the number of first and second-time voters in the last two general elections, voter turnout among youth remains significantly lower than for all other age groups. Analysis of trends in voter turnout and research into the non-voting behaviour of Canada’s youngest eligible voters suggests that simply aging will not increase their propensity to vote, as might have been the case with past generations. Further, as these youngest non-voting generations do age, they are replacing older generations who have displayed a much higher propensity to vote than their replacements. The implication of this trend is that the overall voter turnout in Canada will continue to drop.”

United States
The alarming trend exists here also, according to An Analysis of Presidential Elections:

“In 2012, the voting population 45 years of age and over increased, while the number of voters 18 through 44 years old decreased. Between 1996 and 2008, there was only a single example of an age group showing a decrease in net voting from one presidential election to the next, yet in 2012 significant decreases occurred for two age groups. Younger voters 18 through 29 years of age reported a net voting decrease of about 1.8 million, while voters between the ages of 30 through 44 reported a decrease of about 1.7 million.11 In comparison with the election of 2008, about 4 million additional voters 65 years of age and older reported going to the polls in 2012, as did about 1.3 million additional voters between the ages of 45 through 64.”

Australia
Dr. A. Martin, in his study of voting patterns of the young, makes these similar observations:

“…young people do not seem to see voting as a civic duty in the way older generations do. And we know that these attitudes have real effects in relation to young people being much less likely to be enrolled to vote and much less likely to vote. Young people also have lower levels of party identification in Australia. So, I think it is clear that electoral politics is becoming less attractive to the young.”

Harry Smith is 91 years of age, a veteran of the Second World War, and a survivor of a harsh childhood during the Great Depression. He warns,

“If we refuse to engage in the democratic process by not voicing our concerns about the decline of the welfare state and the erosion of personal liberty, we are unwittingly acquiescing to authoritarian governance. Each time we are silent, we encourage those who are more powerful than us or who have a vested interest in the policy of austerity to profit from our silence. If we are tempted to say to ourselves, ‘I won’t vote, it’s not worth it’, we have to remember who among our numbers will vote, and whose voices will be heard above ours.”

Like Harry Smith, we should all be concerned about this trend among younger generations. For certain, it can only lead to an erosion of basic rights and freedom. There have always been proponents of dropping out—who among us doesn’t remember Timothy Leary?  Today we have society’s dissenter, Russell Brand, who, thanks to social media, spreads his message with speed and menace. “Occupy Wall Street” was an attempt to address the concern of the young about the unraveling of employment and rights, but as history proved, the young people of “Occupy” didn’t have a chance against the forces that capitalized on their lack of leadership and focus, and scattered them.

© 2024 Diane Dahli All Rights Reserved | WordPress site by Quadra Street Designs