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Harris, Phil, Dermody, Janine 
ORCID: 0000-0002-0399-398X, Hanmer‐Lloyd, Stuart and Scullion, Richard
(2010)
Young people and voting behaviour: alienated youth and (or) an interested and critical citizenry?
European Journal of Marketing, 44 (3/4).
pp. 421-435.
doi:10.1108/03090561011020507
Abstract
This paper examines the impact of trust, cynicism and efficacy on young peoples' (non)voting behaviour during the 2005 British general election. Survey data were gathered from 1,134 interviewer-administered questionnaires with young first-time voters during the three-week period following the British general election in May 2005. Validated attitudes statements were used to measure their levels of trust, cynicism and efficacy. The research shows that young people are generally distrusting of and very cynical about politicians and the Prime Minister (Tony Blair) Thus, in part, the data support the existing evidence that cynicism contributes to feelings of political alienation. However, the paper's findings also indicate that while young people can be highly distrusting and cynical, they can also be interested in the election and vote. Current, negative evaluations of young people and electoral politics need to be reviewed. While, it cannot be denied that this age group are highly cynical, and their electoral participation is in decline, for some, this cynicism, when combined with personal efficacy, can act as a positive force to stimulate “monitorial” interaction with election offerings. Consequently, further research is needed to understand young peoples' perceptions of democracy and electoral politics, how their personal efficacy can be increased and what feeds their cynicism. This paper offers a contemporary understanding of young people as an interested and critical citizenry and raises a number of important questions that set a new agenda for political marketers researching youth electoral engagement in the future.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Article Type: | Article |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Young people; voting behavior; alienated youth,; interested citizenry; critical citizenry; cynicism, trust, British general election |
| Subjects: | J Political Science > JN Political institutions (Europe) J Political Science > JN Political institutions (Europe) > JN101 Great Britain |
| Divisions: | Schools and Research Institutes > School of Business, Computing and Social Sciences |
| Research Priority Areas: | Applied Business & Technology |
| Depositing User: | Susan Turner |
| Date Deposited: | 06 Jan 2015 12:57 |
| Last Modified: | 01 Aug 2023 11:57 |
| URI: | https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/1152 |
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