Rebooting Democracy: Youth Participation in Politics in the UK

Young people in the UK are increasingly disinterested in ‘conventional politics’. This has been illustrated by the alarmingly low turnout of 18–24 year olds in the 2001 and 2005 general elections as well as in the shrinking and ageing memberships of political parties. Yet, young people remain interested in politics (broadly defined) and are active in alternative modes of political participation. The problem is not, therefore, political apathy, but alienation from the political system. This article looks at existing literature on youth participation, and presents new research, which—from the perspective of young people themselves—offers diagnoses of the current situation and potential solutions to increase participation in the political process.