Most young people support democracy, but many are skeptical it works for them
Source: Phys.org
While almost two-thirds of young people in the U.S. support democracy, almost a third view it skeptically and are more inclined to accept authoritarianism, according to a new report on attitudes of youth in America after the 2024 elections.
In a nationally representative poll of 18–29 year olds by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University's Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life and Protect Democracy, researchers found that 62% of the young people surveyed display "passive appreciation" for democracy, trusting government institutions, valuing democratic principles, and rejecting authoritarianism and political violence.
At the same time, the people in this group—who are more likely than the average to be conservative—are not civically engaged and do little more than vote, which doesn't augur well for democracy, say the report authors.
And then there are the 31% of the Gen Z survey respondents who do not buy into the value of democracy, have little confidence that the system works, and show higher support for authoritarian governments than other youth. This group, which the researchers refer to as displaying "dismissive detachment" from democracy, vote at a similar rate as other youth, but rarely participate in political action, and believe that they cannot create political change.
Read here the full article published by Phys.org on 14 April 2025.
Image by Phys.org
While almost two-thirds of young people in the U.S. support democracy, almost a third view it skeptically and are more inclined to accept authoritarianism, according to a new report on attitudes of youth in America after the 2024 elections.
In a nationally representative poll of 18–29 year olds by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University's Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life and Protect Democracy, researchers found that 62% of the young people surveyed display "passive appreciation" for democracy, trusting government institutions, valuing democratic principles, and rejecting authoritarianism and political violence.
At the same time, the people in this group—who are more likely than the average to be conservative—are not civically engaged and do little more than vote, which doesn't augur well for democracy, say the report authors.
And then there are the 31% of the Gen Z survey respondents who do not buy into the value of democracy, have little confidence that the system works, and show higher support for authoritarian governments than other youth. This group, which the researchers refer to as displaying "dismissive detachment" from democracy, vote at a similar rate as other youth, but rarely participate in political action, and believe that they cannot create political change.
Read here the full article published by Phys.org on 14 April 2025.
Image by Phys.org