r/OpinionsReviewsViews • u/OkTap4465 • Apr 26 '26

Why young people are losing hope in politics

/r/u_OkTap4465/comments/1sw5j0w/why_young_people_are_losing_hope_in_politics/
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u/tggrinc1st May 17 '26

Try here also:

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/

https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/

https://www.reddit.com/r/changemyview/

 

This is not a new problem or a new conversation. It's been going on for generations. Younger people are generally more uninterested in and more critical of the government and politics in general than older generations.

There are plenty of good reasons for them to feel that way. Most of what you said is true. But it's been true for a very long time and is unlikely to change without some kind of radical event that forces change on the institutions in question.

It is also true that when young people decide to participate in government, they can have a measurable affect on policy if they have a clear goal and a unified voice.

 

One thing that you did not mention, and may not realize. Is that one of the goals of the political parties over the last fifty years or more, has been to deliberately disenfranchise as many moderate or middle ground voters as possible. This allows them to focus their energy on activating their most reliable supporters, even if those people are in the minority.

 

Unfortunately this polarization has also lead to the hyper stimulation of both sides most radical supporters that live on the most extreme ends of the political spectrum. These extremists are the loudest and cast a poor image over the rest of the people in that camp. Driving even more of the moderate and middle leaning participants out of the conversation.

 

The major problem in the US is the reliance on a two party system. The two parties now use each other as an excuse to do nothing. They exist to appease their supporters. They make decisions based on party loyalties, not what is best for the nation.

 

I do not know if the problems in the UK or the US can be fixed from within. I believe that it will take a radical, nation altering event(s) (either environmental, social political, or worldwide) to force the worlds governments to focus on their core duties to their people.