Tuning out or Tuned Out? A Critical Discourse Analysis of Youth Political Participation in Britain.

Abstract

Young people do not vote in the same numbers as older generations, which causes considerable concern within British democratic life. They are seen as detached and disengaged, however, the focus on voting and other traditional forms of political participation is arguably a narrow way of assessing this generation’s political engagement. This paper discusses a critical discourse analysis of recent media texts on youth political participation and argues that media coverage of young people’s political participation furthers the misconception that the youth of Britain today are not interested in politics and political issues. It is argued that notions of youth political participation must extend beyond traditional political engagement, namely voting.