ABSTRACT
Political engagement is commonly said to be in a state of chronic decline. A frequent claim made in recent academic discussion of political engagement in ‘Western democracies has been that public involvement in politics is in decline and democracy is in crisis … the apparent evidence of malaise in the Western body politic also extends to worries about public attitudes towards the political system’ (Pattie et al., 2004, 224). Because of the perceived gravity of this problem concern is not confined to the academy but ‘has also been expressed in numerous public speeches, editorial columns, and policy forums’ (Norris, 2011, 221). These claims are thought to be especially salient to young people. Young people are often alleged to be disengaged from politics on a number of levels. The common view is that young people don’t vote (and are disengaged from electoral politics more generally), do not trust politicians and have low levels of political interest. This book tested these claims and found confirmation of some claims but challenged the conventional wisdom in a number of areas. This conclusion outlines the most important findings of this book and highlights the book’s central themes.
