ABSTRACT
A social anxiety seems to pervade the political classes of the western world that arises from the perception that younger people have become disaffected with liberal democratic politics (Henn, 2002). The traditional mechanisms of political socialisation, which have introduced each new generation to the institutions, mores and practices of democratic governance, no longer seem to inspire commitment or engender dutiful participation. Reluctance to vote at elections and a rising average age of the membership of political parties are cited as examples of this alarming lack of engagement by young people in public affairs. Such trends are compounded by attitude surveys that reveal high levels of distrust in politicians and politics held by young people (Dalton, 2004). Paradoxically, such disenchantment comes at a time when young people are more exposed to political information and discourse through the media and education than their parents experienced. Yet this generational malaise is often interpreted as a continuation of the growing political apathy and withdrawal from public activity that is leading to a weakening of democratic citizenship in many countries worldwide.
