Young Citizens: Young People's Involvement in Politics and Decision Making

by Fahmy,Eldin

• ISBN13: 9780754642596
• ISBN10: 0754642593
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-07-28
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Recent years have witnessed growing concerns about the disengagement of young people from conventional politics both in Britain and internationally. Their non-participation is often viewed as reflecting both a deeper political alienation and 'apathy' amongst young people, and a wider political malaise across western societies. Based upon a wide range of UK and European survey sources, together with qualitative and policy-focused analyses, this volume explores the attitudes of young people to politics and government in Britain and assesses the prospects for re-engaging young people with the formal political process. Young Citizens will be a valuable reference for academics, researchers, policy makers and practitioners in the fields of sociology, social policy, citizenship studies and youth studies.

Table of Contents

List of Figures	vii
List of Tables	viii
Acknowledgements	x
List of Abbreviations	xi
Introduction: A Disconnected Generation?	1	(8)
Aims and Methods	3	(2)
Research Design	5	(1)
Outline of Costs	6	(3)
1 Politics, Participation and Public Policy	9	(20)
Theorising Disaffection and Participation	9	(7)
Youth, Participation and 'the Political'	16	(4)
Participation and Public Policy	20	(2)
Participation and Democratic Theory	22	(3)
Participation and the Life Cycle	25	(4)
2 Exploring Youth and Civic Participation	29	(20)
Youth Transitions and Social Change	29	(9)
Individualisation and Generational Change	38	(4)
The Costs and Benefits of Participation	42	(4)
Conclusion	46	(3)
3 Youth, Voting and Political Participation	49	(22)
Measuring Political Participation	49	(2)
Youth in the 2001 British General Election	51	(2)
Voter Registration and Turnout: A Multivariate Approach	53	(6)
The Social Capital Debate	59	(1)
Social Capital and Young People	60	(2)
Data, Hypotheses and Operationalisation	62	(2)
Youth, Social Capital and Civic Action: A Multivariate Approach	64	(5)
Conclusion	69	(2)
4 Attitudes to Political Engagement	71	(18)
Measuring Attitudes to Politics	71	(2)
Attitudes to Formal Politics: Existing Findings	73	(3)
Change Over Time in Young People's Political Attitudes	76	(4)
Youth, Political Attitudes and Participation: Multivariate Approaches	80	(7)
Conclusion	87	(2)
5 Youth Participation: A European Comparative Perspective	89	(20)
Youth, Politics and Citizenship in Europe	89	(3)
Hypotheses, Data and Operationalisation	92	(3)
Political Trust, Satisfaction and Participation in Europe	95	(5)
Understanding Youth and Participation in Europe: A Multivariate Approach	100	(4)
Europe, Citizenship Rights and Participation	104	(3)
Conclusion	107	(2)
6 Talking Politics: Youth, Political Efficacy and Trust	109	(18)
Initial Findings: The Recruitment Survey	110	(3)
Young People and 'the Political'	113	(6)
Political Efficacy and Trust	119	(6)
Conclusion	125	(2)
7 Talking Politics: Youth and Political Action	127	(18)
Young People's Attitudes to Voting	127	(5)
Attitudes to Protest Action	132	(3)
Social Differences in Participants' Attitudes to Politics	135	(2)
Perspectives on Widening Participation in Politics	137	(6)
Conclusion	143	(2)
8 Policy Implications	145	(20)
Improving Access to Political Information	146	(5)
Widening Opportunities for Participation	151	(9)
Summary and Conclusions	160	(5)
Bibliography	165	(16)
Appendix	181	(6)
Index	187