Apathy

Every day on TV news broadcasts we listen to political leaders speak about the threat terrorists and far away nations pose to democracy and freedom. But I believe the greatest treat to democracy comes not from war or opposing ideologies but from the citizens of democracies themselves. A democracy is defined as “rule by the people”. This means that each citizen has an equal say in deciding how a government is run. We have the right to choose who to put into positions of power, and those elected have a responsibility to represent the electorate and their desires. Everyday issues such as how much we earn, how many hours we work, how our families are protected and the state of our roads, schools and hospitals are affected by politicians, who are given power by us. So who we choose to put into power is an important decision that everyone should consider carefully. Everyone should jump at the opportunity to make a difference and be heard. The government affects everyone and therefore everyone should have an interest in it. Not necessarily in parties and candidates, but in simple things like taxes and social issues that everyone is sure to have an opinion on, since it affects them. However a culture of political apathy is undermining the democratic process and nowhere is this more evident than among young people in this country.

But where does this apathy and disinterest come from? Why don’t young people care? Is Ireland so perfect that young people do not seek change? I don’t think so. Young people as a whole in Ireland have a resounding lack of belief in themselves and there are few factors to motivate or inspire them. Many young people chose not to become involved in politics because the choice was never given to them. How can you expect a group of people to pay attention if attention was never paid to them? The government are responsible for making the political process accessible to all. But the problem still remains that, even if all the information is available, there is a high possibility it will not be absorbed.

In 2004 a poll conducted by the National Youth Foundation in Ireland highlighted the widespread political apathy among Irish teenagers. 90% of respondents to the poll could not name a single MEP in their area and only half could name one of their local TDs. I spoke to Mary McGuiness, a journalism teacher at Galway Technical Institute who has extensive experience dealing with young people and she agrees that there is a high level of political apathy among young people in Ireland. I asked her what she thinks contributes to this: “There are a couple of things. For a start teenagers don’t ever actually have to watch the news, they live in a bubble, they listen to their iPods, they play console games, they don’t actually hear the news on the radio or see it on TV, they rarely discuss anything with their parents. A lot of them have absolutely no knowledge of what’s going on at all.” From this perspective it is easy to see how young people have become detached from the reality of politics- they live in a world dominated by entertainment and there is no room for examining government policies. Discussions on the current fashion trends take precedence over discussions on the current political climate. But according to Mary McGuiness, things weren’t always this way: “I am surprised because when I was in my 20’s Irish young people were the most politically aware people in Europe. Now it’s all gone and maybe when things are going well nobody is interested in politics. If we hit another slump maybe interest will pick up. If we don’t need change there is no reason to be interested.” It is an old cliché that affluence makes the youth complacent; but is it that simple? What do young people think of politicians themselves? The same NYF poll reports that three-quarters of respondents said they felt politicians did little to improve the lives of young people, while a majority also agreed with the phrase that "politicians are only in it for themselves". Mary McGuiness agrees with this. “Young people just say “Oh, they’re all the same, they’re all corrupt. What difference does it make? Politics makes no difference in life.” It is primarily this viewpoint and the lack of participation which is damaging democracy.

However, in a 2002 press release the National Youth Council of Ireland announced that they believed that apathy is not the full reason why young people don’t vote. The NYCI called for the government to “put in place a comprehensive, targeted action plan to increase voter turnout”. Voter turn out could be improved be such strategies as automatically registering citizens to vote on their 18th birthday and sending them a letter informing them that they are elegible to vote and holding elections at times when most people would be home. They attribute alienation as the reason for non participation, rather than apathy. The NYCI also “calls on all parties to make a concerted effort to include policies relevant to young people in their election manifestos in the following areas: First time buyers, private rented accommodation, educational funding, health care, motor insurance, drug policy, anti-racism policies.” It is true that politicians’ manifestos often include many issues that are too obscure and irrelevant to the lives of young people. The National Youth Council recognised that 37% of young people did not vote due to a lack of interest, disillusionment or a feeling that their vote would make no difference- this presents a challenge to those dealing with young people and also to the government. However they suggest that the government has a role to play in making politics accessible to young people: “It is a citizen’s duty to vote, but it is a government’s duty to make sure that they can do so as easily as possible.”

One group of young people, who you would expect to be politically aware but are in fact failing to display such awareness, are university students. At the moment the Union of Students in Ireland is facing a dilemma. All across the country students are failing to participate in student elections and the integrity of local Student Unions is being undermined. The problem is that the general student completes his or her course without once coming into contact with a member of the Students’ Union. The average student would probably find it difficult to describe what exactly the Students Union even does. This years NUIG Student Union Presidential election exhibited the lack of political activity at NUIG. While there were three names on the ballot sheet for President, only one of these was a serious candidate while the other two were jokes running a satirical campaign. Worse still only 10% of the student population turned out to vote. This trend is reflected all over the country and seriously discredits the idea that student leaders speak for all students. Many students ask themselves why they should bother voting. The is that every full time student is automatically a member of the Students’ Union. The Union gets part of the registration fee. By voting you are getting to decide how that money is spent by voting for someone whose manifesto you agree and by giving no preference to the person whose policies you disagree. Just like in governmental elections.

Stephen Conlon, an active member of the USI, wrote in the Irish Times that: “in modern Ireland the vast majority of students express little interest in [politics]. Students are much more interested in fast-tracking their education and entering the real world as quickly as possible. Students are increasingly apathetic, pacified by free education, a minimum wage and their first Opel Astra. Changes will only be brought about by individuals who are politically motivated- students are simply not interested.” Who are we to rely on so if the most educated young people in Ireland are unwilling to be involved in politics?

So what does the future hold for young voters? How will the current democratic deficit be solved? Have Irish young people become too isolated from the political arena in a post Celtic Tiger era? What can jolt them from distraction into action? Do we have to wait until conditions become bad before our youth population take an interest in shaping their future? Wouldn’t it be easier to take charge now and use our recent success to build a stable and sustainable nation which listens to everyone’s voice? Perhaps it’s true that the current political structures in place make it difficult for young people to become involved. The Government definitely has a role to play in opening up politics to the younger generation but groups can show how to vote and where and when, but what young people really need is a reason why. The reality is that young people lack inspiration and motivation, but they’re not stupid and usually more aware than statistics give them credit for. The reality of youth apathy is that young people have plenty of political opinions and concerns, although they might not look at them that way. If only they could turn off their iPods or pull themselves away from screens long enough to express themselves. The failure of young people to organise themselves and make demands means there is no need for politicians to include their demands in manifestos. What is needed is an organisation that brings the debate to young people and shows them, in a non-patronising way, that their voices matter and that democracy only works when everyone is involved.