Political Engagement: Building on Momentum to Increase Youth Participation
Presidential campaigns have been aggressively pursuing youth, reaching new levels in 2008 using innovative outreach methods and coupling the Internet with intense grassroots mobilization. Youth turnout in the 2008 caucuses and primaries was up to 17 percent from 9 percent of eligible voters under the age of 30 in 2000.2 Such efforts, however, tend to surge with presidential elections and dwindle when the election is over.
Focusing on youth political participation is critical because it is the best predictor of whether people engage with politics for the rest of their lives. In recent years, young people have drawn a sharp distinction between serving people directly and resolving problems through the political process, with the majority of people saying they volunteer to help other people rather than to address a broader social or political issue.3 Likewise, a Harvard University Institute of Politics survey showed that 51 percent of respondents were involved in community service volunteering, but only 19 percent were involved in government, politics or advocacy for issues of interest.
Presidential campaigns have been aggressively pursuing youth, reaching new levels in 2008 using innovative outreach methods and coupling the Internet with intense grassroots mobilization. Youth turnout in the 2008 caucuses and primaries was up to 17 percent from 9 percent of eligible voters under the age of 30 in 2000.2 Such efforts, however, tend to surge with presidential elections and dwindle when the election is over.
Focusing on youth political participation is critical because it is the best predictor of whether people engage with politics for the rest of their lives. In recent years, young people have drawn a sharp distinction between serving people directly and resolving problems through the political process, with the majority of people saying they volunteer to help other people rather than to address a broader social or political issue.3 Likewise, a Harvard University Institute of Politics survey showed that 51 percent of respondents were involved in community service volunteering, but only 19 percent were involved in government, politics or advocacy for issues of interest.
