[i] According
to the 2015 European Youth Forum
Report, young people have been largely absent from national elections in the 28
member states of the European Union (EU). Almost 60 per cent of eligible voters
between 16 or 18 and 24 years old opted not to vote in their country’s most
recent national election. Tomaž
Deželan, “Young People and Democratic
Life in Europe: What Next After the 2014 European Elections?,” (European Youth Forum, 2015), www.
youthup.eu/app/uploads/2015/11/YFJ_YoungPeopleAndDemocraticLifeInEurope_B1_web-9e4bd8be22.pdf.
Nearly
two-thirds (65 per cent) of the overall African population is younger than 35,
according to the 2015 AfroBarometer. Yet only 55 per cent of African youth said
they voted in their last national election. Considerable regional differences
exist, however. In East Africa, 65 per cent of young people participated in
their country’s most recent elections, as opposed to only 49 per cent of youth
in Northern Africa. AfroBarometer, Dispatch no. 41,
August 12, 2015, http://afrobarometer.org/sites/default/files/publications/Dispatches/ab_r6_dispatchno41.pdf.
The
2014 Asia Barometer Survey indicates that youth turnout rate in the region is
generally 15–30 per cent lower than that of people older than 35. Generational
differences in voting are striking in Malaysia and Singapore. In both
countries, only a third of youth voted in the most recent national elections,
compared with an overwhelming majority of older citizens. UNDP, Youth and
Democratic Citizenship in East and South East Asia: Exploring Political
Attitudes of East and South-East Asian Youth through the Asian Barometer Survey,
(UN Asia-Pacific Regional Centre, 2014), https://issuu.com/undp/docs/rbap-dg-2014-youth-n-democratic-cit/69.
In
Latin America, the 2013 FLACSO Chile and International Institute for Democracy
and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) report on youth political participation noted
that people under 30 participate less than those over 30 in all presidential
elections on the continent. According to the report, the greatest difference in
participation between young and older people existed in Mexico, where 59 per
cent of young people did not vote compared with just 19 per cent of older
citizens. Other gaps included in: Panama, where 57 per cent of youth did not participate compared
with 17 per cent of older citizens; the Dominican Republic
(61 per cent compared with 13 percent); and Chile (71 per cent compared
with 17 percent). FLACSO Chile and International IDEA, “Youth and Political Participation in Latin America, Current State
and Challenges,” document
prepared for the Annual Democracy Forum “Youth Participation and Elections,” 2013.
[iii] Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Libya, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, South
Africa, Tunisia, Zimbabwe (Africa); Cyprus, Estonia, the Netherlands, Germany,
Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden (Europe); Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia,
Peru, Uruguay (South America); Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore,
Republic of Korea, Taiwan
Province of China,
Thailand (South-East Asia);
India (Southern-Central Asia);
and the United States (North
America).
In Asia, research indicates
that in most of the region’s countries, young people identify less with
political parties than do older citizens. The exceptions were Cambodia,
Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand, where political parties have stronger
links with youth.
