Involving young people in democracy
Hungary’s ‘Milla’ movement shows that social media driven protest movements only succeed when they connect meaningfully with civil society
The Hungarian Government, led by the Prime Minister Vicktor Orban has made waves for its authoritarian tendencies and stated ambition to create an ‘illiberal’ democracy. In response to the government’s censorship of the press, a protest group named Milla emerged, which had some success in organising campaigns against the government’s more nefarious tendencies. However, in […]
The Labour leadership election is a democratic travesty
Ballot papers for the Labour leadership contest were dispatched earlier this week to members, and affiliated supporters. The contest has taken an unexpected course, with the former outsider Jeremy Corbyn set to emerge victorious. In this post, Dr Craig Berry from SPERI at the University of Sheffield questions whether the Labour Party leadership elections are […]
Direct democracy is ill-fitted to engaging the politically disengaged, but popular with more active citizens
The UK has seen a spate of referendums since 1997, with the public being consulted on the creation of new mayoralties, parliaments, assemblies, voting systems, and soon our membership of the European Union. But does direct democracy have the potential to engage those who are currently disinterested in politics? Arndt Leninger argues that while it […]
Young people feel distant from the ‘pale, male and stale’ political class, but are eager for change
The General Election showed further evidence of young people’s disengagement from politics, with turnout continuing to lag behind older voters. But does this mean that young people don’t care? Simon McMahon and Jessica Allen argue that this is not the case, and that distance from the political class should not be equated with disinterest of […]
Education can provide both the opportunities and capabilities to make active citizens of our young people
The General Election once again showed the extent of yawning divide in terms of political participation between older and younger citizens. James Sloam and Ben Kisby reflect on the extent to which young people (dis)engage from politics. By analysing data from the European Social Survey, they conclude that educational institutions are a vital factor in influencing young people’s […]
Switching off E4 on election day is a bold move, but one that may well backfire
The 2015 General Election is upon is, and despite an uptick amongst registration amongst young people, turnout looks set to again be lop-sided in favour of older voters. In a valiant attempt to contribute in their own small way, the TV channel E4 have pledged to switch off the channel in order to encourage their […]
The Manifesto for Youth: Young people are demanding to be heard in the General Election
Young voters are very likely to turn out to vote in smaller numbers than older voters at the General Election, with party politics achieving little to no cut through with younger age groups. Despite this, there are signs of encouragement, according to Andy Mycock, who was involved in Huddersfield University’s Manifesto for Youth. Since the […]
Evidence from the US shows that political satire makes young people more likely to participate in politics
It was recently announced that Trevor Noah will succeed Jon Stewart as host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, a program which increases the likelihood that young people who watch will participate in politics, according to research by Amy Bree Becker. She writes that such programs can have a real impact on voters’ attitudes and that […]
Like our students, UK voters should have the option to vote for ‘Re-open Nominations’
In the UK, there is currently no formal provision for voters to make a positive abstention. Chris Game argues that this is a mistake, and that a ‘Re-open nominations’ option should be added to ballot papers, as part of a range of reforms aimed at increasing engagement. Wednesday April 15 was #DeDay – Democracy Day, […]
A review of the top Voter Advice Applications for the 2015 General Election
Ahead of May 7th General Election, there are more Voter Advice Applications than ever before. These webpages and apps allow voters to see which party best matches their views on policies, helping to better inform voter choice and to encourage voter participation. We asked LSE USApp’s Chris Gilson to review this election’s top VAA’s, with the results […]
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