The Troubling Trend Of Young Americans Tuning Out Of Politics

A hand places a ballot with a green checkmark into a "VOTE" box on a smartphone.

Despite the United States’ intense political climate, a new troubling trend is unfolding: more and more young Americans are tuning out of politics. Despite having voting and unbiased news at the tip of their fingertips, voter turnout among youth has remained disappointingly low. However, this issue doesn’t stem from laziness, as the real culprit is an education system that teaches that politics is something that happens to them, not with them. 

The Problem

American youth, particularly those between the ages of 18 and 24 are politically apathetic, as evidenced by the alarmingly low youth voter turnout rates. The Washington Post explains that only “39.6% of youths aged 18-24 were registered to vote in November 2022.” Compared to the previous midterm election, this was the biggest decline in voter registration for any age group, displaying how critical yet neglected this issue is. This stems from America’s high school education system, which often fails to encourage the habit of civic engagement early on. 

Moreover, American youth face an alienating and unsupportive environment when it comes to learning about politics. Without encouragement from high school, students lack the incentive to educate themselves on political and social issues. Furthermore, looking into current issues usually demands advanced research skills and analytical experience that many young individuals have yet to develop. This issue is exacerbated by the inherent ever-changing nature of politics. Becky Stowell, a freshman and campus ambassador for the civic engagement group Texas Rising, stated that “many students find it difficult to parse out the information coming at them from multiple places”.

Legal constraints have further entrenched the issues of youth political apathy. Numerous states have banned important civic-engaging activities, and Texas is one of them. For example, a 2021 Texas stipulation banned assignments requiring direct communication between students and local or state officials. This limitation severely restricts opportunities for civic engagement, depriving young Texans of essential exposure to the political process.

And any attempts to solve this lack of civic engagement have only made it worse. Efforts to solve the lack of civic education in Texas high schools have been insufficient and sometimes even damaging. In 1983, a law was enacted that required high schools to distribute voter registration forms to students who are at least 17 years and 10 months old. However, this law was never regulated, as no consequences were enforced for noncompliance. Consequently, the University of Houston estimated that only a quarter of the schools were following it. In fact, many haven’t even heard of it before!

As mentioned before, the root of civic apathy lies in the structural deficiencies of America’s education system. It’s a rigid and unengaging learning structure typically involves rote memorization for the most part, which fails to inspire or engage students. The absence of immersive, hands-on learning that bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application is what causes students to struggle to connect their education to the real-world implications of civic participation. 

Solutions

In order to truly fix youth civic disengagement, America should target the root where civic habits are first formed: the education system. Texas—and most of the nation—continues to rely on outdated, test-driven models of civic education that fail to make politics feel personal, urgent, and relevant. Furthermore, they have banned models of learning that have made civics into a dynamic subject where students can learn more about their nation. 

One innovative way to solve this is to include interactive, story-driven platforms in classrooms. These platforms could feature popular, relatable characters that go through civic issues like inequality, homelessness, and food insecurity. Building realistic characters that go through these social issues allows teenagers to further emphasize civic issues. These characters could also be utilized in strategic social media campaigns that target high school youths by participating in viral trends and educational content that seem engaging and modern. 

Furthermore, students should be incentivized to participate in civic-related extracurriculars. Civic engagement organizations and clubs like Speech and Debate, Mock Trial, and Model United Nations are crucial for students’ interest in politics. These extracurriculars are key ways for students to interact with politics and legal studies in fun and competitive ways. With every card you cut and with every case brief you receive in Mock Trial, you have to spend time doing intensive research on political resolutions, thus forcing you to learn more about the political climate of the United States. 

Many students don’t participate in these events because of the lack of awareness or knowledge about these organizations. By targeting nearby middle schools, engagement with these organizations can start early by connecting with students to support them in starting a Mock Trial, Model United Nations, or Speech and Debate club. 

If money is an issue, then the U.S. government should invest more money in these programs. By providing grants to underprivileged schools so that they can implement solid civic engagement and education programs within their schools, we can pass on the necessary skills and talents to underserved students to advocate for themselves. 

Conclusion

Ultimately, revamping civic education means moving beyond impractical memorization and fundamentally structuring an educational system where students can connect classroom knowledge to real-world advocacy and engagement. By utilizing relatable storytelling, digital engagement, and hands-on learning, Americans can shift civic education from a forgotten requirement to a vibrant launchpad for lifelong participation in democracy.