Young
adults have little interest in government
By
Robert Tanner
Associated Press
Teenagers
and young adults are less likely than older
adults to value voting or the way government
works, and the reason is that the nation
is failing to teach the basics for taking
part in a democracy, according to a report
released Monday.
Though
mostly dire, the report found a bit of good
news -- that young people who have taken
a class in civics place more value on engaging
in public life.
''We
can't let apathy and ignorance become the
status quo,'' said Utah House Speaker Marty
Stephens, president of the National Conference
of State Legislatures, one of the groups
that helped produce the report.
The
report, based on an Internet survey, focused
on what it called ''DotNets'' -- people
ages 15 to 26. It was produced by the Representative
Democracy in America Project, a collaboration
of legislative, academic and civics education
groups.
Among
the findings:
--
Fifty-four percent of the under-26 group
said it is important to pay attention to
government and politics; 78 percent of the
over-26 group felt that way.
--
Forty-seven percent of the younger group
eligible to vote said they cast ballots
in all or most elections, compared with
77 percent of the older group.
--
48 percent of the younger group knew their
governor's party, and 40 percent knew which
party controlled Congress; in the older
group, that rose to 72 percent and 61 percent.
The
report found that younger people ''do not
understand the ideals of citizenship, they
are disengaged from the political process,
they lack the knowledge necessary for effective
self-government, and their appreciation
and support of American democracy is limited.''
In
one example, the survey ranked how young
respondents viewed a career in politics:
Only farming ranked worse than the prospect
of a career as a state lawmaker, member
of Congress or president.
Most
-- 53 percent -- looked favorably on a career
in business, while 44 percent chose music
or theater. President? That only drew 16
percent. (Respondents could pick more than
one career).
''The
generational gaps in civic knowledge, attitudes
and participation are greater than they
have ever been,'' said Karl Kurtz of the
NCSL and a report co-author.
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