Youths feel politicians’ communication outdated, panders to diehards – JYAN

While debates, rallies and other forms of political activities that take place ahead of election day are important, Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network (JYAN) Executive Director Shannique Bowden says the island’s youth are primarily dissatisfied with the lack of engagement outside of this period.

According to Bowden, youth in Jamaica crave ongoing engagement with the political process.

Providing insights into the organisation’s position, Bowden shared some of the preliminary findings of a survey conducted by JYAN which shows high levels of youth apathy towards the political process.

“In our preliminary findings, we are seeing key apathy indicators, which are concerning. This matches our experience in the fields, in which we heard many youth complaining about the political process, describing it as lacking sufficient opportunities for engagement outside of voting, with most noting that the only times they’ve seen a politician or their elected representatives are, at times, advantageous to them, such as during the election period or when there is a major tragedy,” said Bowden.

“Many of them not only expressed frustration with the process, but expressed confusion and annoyance with accessing pertinent government information and services,” added Bowden. “The findings are also showing high levels of distrust towards politicians, with many doubting their intent, proactivity and willingness to enact policies and programmes that truly benefit young people.”

Least interested

In the most recent RJRGLEANER-commissioned Don Anderson poll, the findings also indicated that younger members of the electorate were the least interested in participating in choosing the next government.

According to that poll, conducted by Anderson’s Market Research Services Limited between August 2 and 11 among 1,008 registered voters age 18 and over, 32.1 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds do not intend to vote in the September 3 general election. At the same time, 29.4 per cent of voters age 25-34 also do not intend to vote.

Bowden shared that while youth were apathetic, they expressed receptiveness to being engaged, but noted that they were uninterested in partisan rallies and mass gatherings.

“Most young people said that while they were open to hearing from politicians and political parties, they described their methods of communication as outdated and often pandering to diehards. Some young people are for the rallies, but the idea of gathering at any major town square does not appeal to most,” said Bowden.

“Youth see the debates as important, but think of the event as but one tool in the engagement arsenal. They also wanted to see more innovation in the area of political campaigning, such as greater use of digital platforms not just for posting, but a move towards digital town halls that can facilitate live feedback. Other suggestions included embracing new media players, like podcasters and influencers who young people are already tuned into,” added Bowden.

In reacting to the findings of the survey, Bowden posited that it was also an indictment on organisations and others in the civil society space who should be bolstering public education in and around participatory democracy.

“The findings of our survey, while they focused on the political process, also serve as a feedback mechanism for us in the CSO space. We need to bolster public education and really help to insert the youth in the political process by keeping them informed. For democracy to work, you need an informed public, and we as civil society partners have a role to play,” she said.

“JYAN, as an organisation, will be bolstering public awareness in this area, because while our politicians have a role to play, we’ve to help bridge the gap and, most importantly, help youth to self-advocate,” she added.

editorial@gleanerjm.com