![]() ![]() ![]() Here, it is clear that not only did the Millennials enter the electorate with a typically higher level of apathy towards electoral politics than their elders, but they continued to express higher average levels of apathy throughout the series (except for around the 2010 election). The story is quite different, however, for political apathy (the fourth graph on this page). When it comes to their faith in their ability to influence the political process, and in the integrity of that process, the Millennials are the least alienated generation in the electorate, while being quite typical for their faith in their knowledge of the political system. The meaninglessness data does not suggest that the Millennials are un-alienated compared with their elders, but nor does it show that they are alienated either. The normlessness data shows a clear trend of rising alienation throughout the electorate since the 1980s, but within this a distinct lack of alienation among the Millennials compared with the older generations (except, on occasion, the Pre-War). Looking at powerlessness, the average score on the 1-5 scale for the Millennials between 20 is 3.5 this compares with 3.6 for the 90s, 80s and 60s-70s generations, and 3.7 for the Post-War and Pre-War generations. That said, they do not stand out for being unusually alienated from politics, but – in terms of powerlessness and normlessness – for being un-alienated. The initial impression is that the Millennials aren’t hugely different from the older generations. The figures shows several graphs identifying how the Millennials compare with older generations in the British electorate in terms the three dimensions of alienation, using data from the British Social Attitudes survey. Meaninglessness, in which they feel that they lack the knowledge and understanding of the political process to meaningfully interact with it.Normlessness, in which they do not trust that the norms, rules and conventions which govern fair and just political interaction are being adhered to.Powerlessness, in which the individual feels that they have no power to influence the political process.This alienation need not, however, manifest in the same way for all people there are three dimensions of political alienation which represent how it might be apparent: It could lead to them refusing to participate in the political process (such as refusing to vote), supporting non-mainstream parties who challenge the status quo (such as UKIP or the Greens), or seeking alternative means of political expression (such as protest or political consumerism). At heart, it refers to an individual (who is interested in politics) feeling estrangement from the processes, institutions, or actors of formal British politics (e.g., parties, elections, MPs, etc.), with clear behavioural consequences. By updating this literature so that it is applicable to modern Britain, we get a clear idea of what alienation from the formalised political process of British democracy actually is. We can find such a conceptualisation in previous literature on political alienation itself, originating in the study of American students protesting against their government and political system in the 1960s. The question is whether the Millennials are found to be unusually alienated from politics once we develop a clear and coherent idea of what ‘political alienation’ is. The term is instead used as a way of summarising negative attitudes expressed by Millennials towards politicians, political parties, or the political system more broadly. The academic research which underpins this conventional wisdom, however, is problematic because it pays so little attention to defining what ‘political alienation’ is. It has become interwoven with ethical disputes of how we should view young people and their limited electoral engagement: to call young people ‘politically alienated’ implies that they are victims of the failures of our political elites, while to say that they are politically apathetic is associated with blaming them for their lack of participation and ‘ letting politicians off the hook ’. This conventional wisdom dominates academic thinking, policy-making and public debate about how and why young people engage with politics. This is said to explain, their reluctance to vote in elections, their passion for alternative forms of political expression, and even trends like ‘ Corbynmania ’. They are not, the argument goes, politically disengaged, but rather their perception of the democratic process as something alien to them, that they cannot influence, or that they do not feel a part of prevents them from expressing their interest in political issues through it. It is fashionable to argue that when it comes to electoral politics today’s young people – the Millennials – are an alienated generation.
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