Youth and Political Change

Since the turn of the new millennium, the relationship between young people and their states across many advanced liberal democracies has become increasingly fragile and somewhat problematic. This shift has come at a time of declining public trust in government institutions and politicians. In countries such as the United States, Canada, Russia, and Japan as well as across many European democracies, many young people are turning their backs on democratic institutions. As a consequence, the current generation of youth is often condemned as apathetic and as lacking interest in participating in the democratic process.