Why Bother? Because Peer-to-Peer Programs Can Mobilize Young Voters

In: PS: political science & politics, Band 39, Heft 2, S. 341-345

Abstract

Many assume that young Americans are apathetic, self-absorbed, and
indifferent to civic matters. It is a turned-off generation, we are
told. But nothing could be further from the truth. A host of data
suggests young Americans give their energy, time, and money to their
schools, community, and nation. A recent report by the Center for
Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE),
for example, suggests young Americans volunteer at higher rates than
do older Americans (Lopez 2003). The frequency of pitching-in has
also increased: In 1990 some 65% of college freshman reported
volunteering in high school, and by 2003 that figure had risen to
83%. Rates of volunteer work for those under 25 are now twice as
high as for those over 55. Perhaps this is the
activist generation.