Aside from the conclusions of ChatGPT, shared yesterday, is there any evidence of increased civic engagement by today’s young people?
Quite a bit, as it turns out.
Chicago’s Mayoral election saw a 24% increase in turnout by young voters.I wasn’t able to locate youth turnout for the Wisconsin Supreme Court election, but increased youth turnout was critical to the earlier re-election of Democratic Governor Tony Evers.
A recent article from the New York Times detailed Republican efforts in several states to suppress college student voting, noting that–while there was still room for improvement–“college students, who had long paid little attention to elections, emerged as a crucial voting bloc in the 2018 midterms.” (According to some reports, the youth vote breaks 3-1 for Democrats.)
It isn’t just voting. Signs point to an increase in overall civic engagement by America’s young citizens.
Here in Indiana, the legislature passed a Hoosier version of Florida’s “Don’t say gay” bill, and triggered an unprecedented protest by schoolchildren.
Around 100 students from the Center For Inquiry School 27 held a walk-out Monday afternoon to protest Indiana’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill which would restrict how teachers are able to discuss sexual orientation or gender identity in the classroom.
The students marched, chanted and held signs with slogans like “we’re here and we’re queer” for a little under an hour at the Martin Luther King Jr. Park on the near north side of Indianapolis.
The student-led walkout was organized by three fifth-grade students who said they wanted to take action after hearing how House Bill 1608 could impact their school.
“So we just started talking to everyone in the school to see if they wanted to do something about this,” Violet Brooks, one of the fifth graders who organized the march, told IndyStar.
Brooks said she thought maybe 50 people would join Monday’s march but roughly double that number of students from third to seventh grade came out. CFI 27 is a K-8 school in the Indianapolis Public Schools district.
Two other fifth-grade organizers, Norah May and Paper Hahn, walked around the park with pride flags around their shoulders and rainbows painted on their cheeks. At one point they mounted the nearby jungle gym to start chants of “kill the bill.”
It isn’t just children in Indiana. After the Nashville shooting, students in Tennessee erupted.
One week after six people were killed in a mass shooting at The Covenant School, hundreds of high school students across Nashville walked out of their classrooms on Monday morning, joining parents and supporters to rally and demand gun reform…
From the Capitol to Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet and Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet high schools, students walked out in protest or held classroom “walk-ins” where they expressed sorrow, disbelief and anger with educators.
Outside the Capitol, hundreds gathered in misting rain, chanting as they demanded state lawmakers to enact gun reform.
Subsequently, media outlets have covered similar, widespread protests by schoolchildren across the country.
State politics are even factoring into high school graduates’ college choices.
A national survey of the impact of state social policies on college choices found that “a substantial fraction of high school seniors bound for four-year colleges as full-time students reported passing over a school they had initially considered based exclusively on state-level political considerations.”
That doesn’t bode well for universities in Indiana, which depend significantly on tuition dollars generated by enrollment, or for a state already struggling to attract and retain educated workers.
Of course, young people’s avenues to engagement are no longer restricted to voting and/or taking to the streets. As one study from CitizenLab noted,
For the under 30s, citizen engagement is showing up in new ways: their engagement is primarily done online, through social media or civic tech platforms. These tools give young citizens a greater voice in their community and help them express their concerns and priorities and build a long-term bond with government….
Today, the average age of a child receiving their first smartphone is around 10 years old. The upcoming generation will expect to see fast and responsive government processes, and they will probably be unlikely to attend a Monday night council meeting. Using digital participation platforms at the local level is an excellent tactic to engage younger citizens, as they are familiar with technology and would easily understand online platforms. 45 percent of the participants that utilize CitizenLab’s platform are under the age of 35. The recent rise in political participation in citizens ages 16-24 in both the United States and the United Kingdom shows that young voters are eager to engage, and should therefore be given appropriate means to do so. (emphasis mine)
Not every teenager looking at a screen is accessing Tik-Tok.
Young Americans are a lot more civically focused than most of my generation was at their ages. They may save us yet.
Thank You. It is nice to start the day with some good news,
I tried to research Indiana’s voting records for 18 to 35 year old voters; I found a county-by-county voter registration vs. voter numbers which state-wide ranged from the low to mid-30% to mid to upper 40% voters with two exceptions. Marion County 2022 records listed 34% of registered voter actually voted; Crawford and Union Counties listed 51% of registered voters actually voted. What is the draw in Crawford and Union Counties for the higher voting percentages? Union County is on the Indiana/Ohio state line in the Cincinnati-Middletown, Ohio area; Crawford County is on the Indiana/Kentucky state line near the Louisville, KY area. Both are southern-most part of the state with low population numbers so their actual numbers are not high levels equal to higher populated counties with major Indiana cities, both are Republican represented. Is the draw (Republican foundation) due to jobs and political activity in larger out-of-state big cities?
What are the voucher statistics in Ohio and Kentucky and are there statistics regarding registered vs. actual voters in the younger range?
(…regarding state-level political considerations) “That doesn’t bode well for universities in Indiana, which depend significantly on tuition dollars generated by enrollment, or for a state already struggling to attract and retain educated workers.” Indiana University, Purdue University and Notre Dame University are major sports-oriented competitors with extremely high tuition and student fees…all three appear to be primarily Republican oriented. Sexual orientated identification is now becoming a primary issue regarding choices of higher education. Is their political interest or foundation a consideration in their choice?
“Not every teenager looking at a screen is accessing Tik-Tok.” Are they seeking a political and sexual sanctuary as well as educational opportunities? Or is the cost a deciding factor?
“They may save us yet.” Yes and if we have any sense at all we will be assisting them instead of dissing them!
The March, 2018, March for Our Lives demonstration in Washington D.C. was comprised of more than 200,000 people (crowd size estimate per CBS News, citing Digital Design & Imaging Service, Inc. — DDIS). As an on-site attendee in D.C., I saw the vast majority of participants were young people of high school age.
It’s not clear what role adults played in orchestrating that 2018 event, but on the surface, it looked like young people speaking to young people, with adult police and news crews on the periphery watching, hearing and broadcasting the entirely peaceful demonstration.
I don’t know who stage-managed the 2018 event’s speakers, and the technical and administrative aspects such as permits, stage, security, electricity, microphones, Jumbotron and post-event clean-up. Experienced adults must have been in the background. As they didn’t work for free, we assume someone paid their bills.
On the surface, though, the communication to the crowd appeared to come from articulate high schoolers speaking in the language of other high schoolers. It seemed like they wrote their own words and crafted their own presentations. Speaker Emma González at the event podium, with nothing more than her image on the Jumbotron, evoked a duration of complete silence from the crowd of 200,000 until she spoke the most powerful words of the demonstration:
“Since the time that I came out here, it has been 6 minutes and 20 seconds, the shooter has ceased shooting and will soon abandon his rifle and blend in with the students so he can walk free for an hour before arrest,” González said. “Fight for your lives before it is someone else’s job.”
Waiting on Lester to debunk Shelia’s commentary today….
Young people are tech-advantaged and not constrained by mainstream media. Does this translate to more informed voters?
It should.
Do they care about student loans and social justice for young members of society? Moreso than churchgoers. I expect the decline in church attendance will continue. They can even imagine voting virtually, so maybe the archaic voting systems will be updated. Don’t you think the two-parties want to hold on to their archaic systems for a reason? 😉
“a substantial fraction?” Why doesn’t the study name the fraction so the reader determines whether it’s “substantial?” The author might think 10% is “substantial.” Me, I’m skeptical of the question because a lot of people aren’t necessarily going to be truthful in their response.
if the kids see a pattern of the past,and see it fading and their chance to enjoy the freedoms of the now past. they maybe gathering to continue the safety nets that are being trashed. many today dont want religion,many,like the evangl. who i withnessed,smothered thier children in so called faith and love to find its a con game for power today. the gay and trans issue,these kids are with likeable people everyday,that trumps the bullshit of the glory bound fascists. the kids dont want to be manhandled by a society that hates. they have come to know the diffrence.
todays political farce is those who have the knack/education for politics and condemming and have made it by the money shoveled in by other self interests. they are not politicians,they merely are shamans to the rich.
hopefully the kids will keep this in mind and vote em out before there is no future for them.
Other than the children, who are most likely to be shot by a lost soul with easy access to an AR15 and huge magazines, what will it take to move older non-voters to stand for something?
It’s interesting to me that the majority of naysayers on this blog, whenever there is something positive presented, are always men. White men need to shut the _____ up! Always nitpicking about trivial things like what “substantial fractions” are!! White men have had their disrespectful say at the expense of others for far too long. Try just listening for a change.
Am I pissed today? You bet!! Between the ruling on Mifepristone and the expulsion of 2 young black Congressmen in Tennessee — well, it’s almost too much!!
Be glad that African-Americans, the young people and women are ONLY protesting instead of getting revenge!!
Oh, and my newest bumper sticker says “DRAG SHOWS DON’T KILL KIDS – GUNS DO!” I hope I don’t get shot here in SC, the land of gun worshipers.
Old and new people have significantly different perspectives on life.
When we’re old life is mainly in the rearview mirror. When we are/were new, it’s a mystery yet to be revealed to us, or anyone.
When we’re old and therefore more or less irrelevant, all we can do is complain about how different the future will be from what we’ve known or will know. When we’re new we can’t wait to see what will be and we will build our lives to suit.
When we’re old, life in the future is hypothetical. When we’re new, it will be as real as rain.
Young people accept whatever will be as the scene that they will render in the art of their lives. To them what the scene is of is less important than their ability to internalize it and craft an image of their future self in the midst of it as they age.
Well, I believe certain values are passed down through the generations.
More often than not, the parents values reflect in the values of the children. Not every single time mind you, but surprisingly, more often than You would expect.
As I vividly recall, back in 2008, people were saying the Republican party was dead. That the new progressive movement was going to change everything! And, it actually did! And, not for the better!
The tea party was created, they saw their particular way of life being threatened. More often than not, those individuals passed that inkling to their children.
In Chicago, the young activists, Jamal Green and Jamal Cole help get Mr Johnson elected. But there has to be a sea change in attitude to stop the violence in the streets.
Is knowledge intellect? Not really! There are plenty of extremely educated individuals who are not very intellectual. One can possess all the knowledge in the world, but if they don’t know how to apply it, or how to interpret it, it’s useless. And I might add all knowledge, is not good knowledge. It takes moral acuity common sense and a trained conscience that hasn’t yet been degradated by the myriads of influencers that permeate the younger generations.
So, just like 2008, or, the civil rights movement in the ’50s and ’60s, or the emancipation proclamation earlier in 1863, The hope of a better life, equality, and fairness were dashed by the ugly 800 lb gorilla of bigotry and hatred that is always in the room. Kind of like the Indian removal act of 1830. Legally stealing land and butchering entire nations of people.
Until that changes, nothing will change!
I have great hope that the youth in this country will come forward with the power of their vote and remove the dinosaurs from office (in other words old white guys) so that they can live their life. Maybe someday they can reverse the GOP fascists laws and get back to taking care of the citizens rather than the rich corporations. Maybe they can get citizens United overturned finally and actually have a representative government before I die!
But, you know I’m a dreamer! Go kids!
As most of you know, Sheila and I respectfully differ on the subject…I will not trot out voting and opinion data – been there, done that. I will just ask all of us to consider these questions:
– Does “protesting” on issues change anything when it is the politicians/parties who do? And right now, in most places, the Right rules…
– Does “protesting” on issues turn into material votes anywhere but gerrymandered DEM places? If they are so serious, why do vote much less than older folks?
– Does being serious about the health of the world/our society result in young people “living” their beliefs: check out what they eat/drink; check out what they spend their time on: check out their direct involvement in helping the less fortunate; etc.
Just sayin’
Paul, why raise the issue about what the ‘substantial fraction’ is, when you don’t trust the survey responses to begin with?
Lester: thanks for your pessimism; the world needs a lot more of that. LOL
Max – getting “real” helps energize action….
Lester, you pretty much hit the nail on the head. Is the glass half full or half empty? I’d say the glass is pretty much almost empty. Countries planting nukes close to the borders of other countries, spending trillions of dollars every year to try and figure out how to kill the others?
This is where the intellect lies, this proves that humanity is completely bereft of wisdom! People starving, people being gunned down in the streets, countries threatening to annihilate the entire planet, how are they going to fix anything? The younger generation really is not even aware of most of this, they don’t talk about it! Their interest doesn’t lay in that particular area.
I have heard how many of the youngest hope there’s another recession so they can buy a house at a cheap interest rate! Now that, is where the interest is focused.