Study finds schools turn Gen Y off democracy

Australian youth are showing extreme apathy towards their right to vote, with 20 per cent not enrolled to vote, and close to half saying they wouldn't vote if it wasn't compulsory, new University of Sydney research shows.

However the research found that if your kids attend a private school, study politics or civics, and engage with their school community, then they're more likely to vote come election time.

A new report by Sydney University's Associate Professor Murray Print, chief investigator with the Youth Electoral Study (YES), has found that students who experience politics positively at school are more politically aware and more likely to register and cast a vote. The report also criticised the way in which political and civics subjects are taught, the lack of a national curriculum, and the absence of any political studies course in NSW.

This fifth report from the YES project, based at the University of Sydney, has just been delivered to the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC). It comes after the AEC Commissioner Ed Killesteyn raised concerns about low levels of people enrolling to vote.

"It is clear that having taken a government subject, and being interested in it, are important for students' commitment to voting when they turn 18," A/Professor Print said. "The figures show that the more interesting the study is to the student, the more likely the student is to vote."

A/Professor Print also found that "the more integrated a student is with the school, both its teachers and its culture, the more likely the student will be engaged with society generally."

The YES study found schools and parents play independent but complimentary roles in influencing the participation of young Australians in our democracy, with private school students showing the highest level of political knowledge and commitment to voting.

According to A/Professor Print: "The evidence shows these students get more political information and influence from their parents, and their parents are generally better educated."

The study also looked at where young people gain their knowledge of Australian politics. Over the past two decades, the number of young people relying on the media for information has declined, with students favouring advice from parents and teachers. In spite of this, the study found newspapers' reputations remain strong, declaring them, "the most effective source of political knowledge."

A/Professor Print's research criticised several aspects of the school curriculum, however, for failing to engage students in the democratic and civic processes. "Many areas of the informal curriculum, such as volunteering, participation in clubs and raising funds have been undervalued or ignored as sources for building student civic and political engagement. Students do not value these experiences largely because the school does not value them.

"By the same token most aspects of student government are inconsequential. The most common student comment was that the results were 'rigged' by teachers and not to be taken seriously. Within the school, students had little influence over important decisions, their opinions were not valued and the student government has negligible power."

In interviewing students across Australia, A/Professor Print found the study of Australia's political system is haphazard across the country. His report makes special mention of the fact that NSW, the most populous state, has no political studies course, in contrast to some other states.

Although only four per cent of students said they studied the Australian government in a civics or politics subject, the proportion of this group who said they would vote (77.8%) "is the highest of all the school subjects mentioned," according to A/Professor Print's research.

Despite the fact that a high proportion of students surveyed said they had studied government in social studies subjects, many of these students said they would not vote, and many could not correctly name both Houses of Parliament.

Key Findings and Recommendations:

• Twenty per cent of 18- to 25-year-olds aren't registered to vote, and close to half said they wouldn't vote if it wasn't compulsory.

• Being interested in the study of government was by far the most important school variable in determining whether students said they would vote, even if they didn't have to.
• Half as important as interest in the subject, but the second most important factor, was school elections and the experience of voting in determining voting commitment.
• Half as important as voting was the experience of running for office in school elections, which still has a positive effect on voting commitment.

The Youth Electoral Study recommended that:

• Teachers and schools need to make the study of political and social subjects more interesting.
• School elections should be taken more seriously.
• Teachers should be recognised as role models, as positive student-teacher relations promote positive political behaviour.
• Parents should involve their children in their own political life and take them when voting.

Contact: Kath Kenny

Phone: 02 9351 2261 or 0434 606 100