Teenagers "apathetic and ignorant" about politics
Teenagers "apathetic and ignorant" about politics
Many teenagers do not know the most basic political facts, and their knowledge has fallen significantly over the last 25 years. But while most young people are not much interested in politics, they are willing to engage with their local communities. These are among the findings of a study by social scientists from the University of Cambridge and Birkbeck College, University of London. The research was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, as part of its Democracy and Participation programme.
The researchers found that almost half of 1,249 teenagers questioned thought that the number of Members of Parliament “was about 100” (in fact it is 659) and only just over a tenth of students knew that referenda are allowed in Britain. When asked whether the UK was part of the European Union, 24 per cent did not know it was a member, compared with 9 per cent who thought the same about British membership of the European Economic Community in 1976. Dr David Halpern, co-author of the study, said: “We set out to discover how much tomorrow’s citizens know about the workings of our democracy, and we compared the results with similar surveys undertaken in 1976. We found a worrying lack of knowledge of the basic facts and a large scale of apathy that should concern politicians of all parties. But we also found the majority of young people were keen to play their part in their local communities.”
Almost two-thirds of the young people questioned believed that government was“too complicated for them to understand”, although a majority believed that the Government could be trusted at least some of the time. More than half(59 per cent) said they were “not much interested in politics” and only 6 per cent were “very much interested”, with 35 per cent “somewhat interested”. Some 40 per cent “never” discussed politics with friends, compared with 30 per cent in 1976. But, young people were engaged with their communities. More than half of young people (56 per cent) thought it important to “do something to improve your community or society”, with fewer than 10 per cent thinking such activity “unimportant”. And most of the young people questioned had put this belief into practice. More than 75 per cent had engaged in some form of civic or volunteering activity outside of school. The figure included 45 per cent who had raised funds for charity, 34 per cent who had signed a petition, 25 per cent who had taken part in Guide or Scout activities and 17 per cent who had helped the elderly.
The researchers also found that girls were slightly more likely to volunteer than boys. Those students who watched most TV were least likely to become involved in their communities, but those who watched a lot of TV news were more likely to do so. Children whose parents were politically or civically engaged were also more likely to become involved.
Professor Peter John, the report’s co-author, said that citizenship education could make a difference, but parental and school attitudes matter more. “Students who were at schools with civic education built into the curriculum proved to be more knowledgeable about civic and political issues and more likely to become active in their local communities. Much of the study was undertaken just before citizenship became a curriculum requirement in September 2002, and such lessons should help.
Meanwhile, another study has shown more people would rather learn from millionaire Richard Branson than premier Tony Blair. Research conducted by training specialist Parity showed that 67 per cent of the 226 people surveyed placed the British entrepreneur as their ideal “celebrity trainer”. In joint second place came media tycoon Rupert Murdoch and business guru John Harvey-Jones, each backed by a quarter of those polled. Participants were asked to indicate their top three ideal trainers from the business world, as part of an investigation into what makes a good instructor. Although behind Branson,Tony Blair did make it into the top five – 19 per cent wanted to learn from the PM. Anita Roddick, the Bodyshop founder, was the highest ranked woman,selected by one in seven people. Overall, women fared less well in the poll:Clara Furse (0.8 per cent), the chief executive of the London Stock Exchange,and MP Ann Widdecombe (5.7 per cent) came in the bottom five, alongside Howard Marks (4.4 per cent), Nick Leeson (6 per cent) and Jeffrey Archer (7.5 per cent).
