The Party Politics of Youth Citizenship and Democratic Engagement

Andrew Mycock, Jonathan Tonge

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

57 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Young people populate a uniquely strategic position within society in general and particularly in party political debate about the future development of citizenship and the national community. Political parties in the UK have however been historically reluctant to engage with young people or represent their interests in the formulation of policies, instead prioritising older voters. However, the political resonance of issues linked to youth citizenship and democratic engagement has risen recently as political parties have sought to address steep declines in levels of civic and civil activism and the preparedness of young people to vote in elections. This paper explores the emerging party politics associated with such shifts, assessing the extent to which political parties have sought to reform how they engage with young people or reassert traditional modes of citizenship and political participation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)138-161
Number of pages24
JournalParliamentary Affairs
Volume65
Issue number1
Early online date16 Nov 2011
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2012

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