Careless, Uninformed, and Disconnected
The future of San Diego according to its next generation of leaders
By Maia Houck
By Maia Houck
In September of 2011, over 30,000 San Diegans brainstormed, refined, and voted on decisive plans for the future of their community.
This endeavor was sponsored by the San Diego Foundation as part of the multi-year project Our Greater San Diego Vision, the purpose of which was to discover the overarching ideals and desires San Diegans had for their home. They gathered a plethora of information: Twenty seven percent of participants said that high cost of living was the issue that had the most impact on the quality of their life; ten percent said it was low wages and a lack of job opportunities. Almost fifty percent said that, in order to attract major sporting events and teams, a new sports complex should be built in our city. Just over fifty percent wanted to maintain the thirty foot height limit on buildings built on the coast; a large number of those surveyed were undecided. Two thirds recommended the construction of a new airport. These results reflect the concerns and desires of the generation of San Diegans currently in power—those who are working, paying taxes, and assuming positions of leadership in the community. Today, you can find a comprehensive analysis of the data that the San Diego Foundation collected on their website. But what about the vision of those in the upcoming generation, those of us who are currently being prepared to assume those roles in the world? What would happen if they were in power? The representation of young people in our country’s decision-making process is complex. Part of this is due to the way we perceive our youth, and part of it is simply in the numbers. On average, elderly people are far more likely to vote in every election. Voting rates for 18-29 year olds in presidential elections are 45%, compared with a 67% average for 30 year olds and up. In the most recent midterm elections, only 13% of nationwide ballots were cast by 18-29 year olds. As a consequence, the issues that politicians discuss are not intended for a younger audience. Issues relating to public education, for example, are not directed towards those currently in the school system, but towards those whose taxes are funding it. This creates a gap between the issue and those affected by it, cutting the voices of students out of the public’s consideration. Not only are young peoples’ concerns remaining unaddressed, but they are also discouraged from utilizing their voting power. In the October 21st edition of FOX News’ talk show The Five, anchors discussed whether or not young women should excuse themselves from voting. “It's the same reason why young women on juries are not a good idea. They don't get it!" said co-host Kimberly Guilfoyle. “They're like healthy and hot and running around without a care in the world. They can go back on Tinder or Match.com."
This is not the first time young voters have been steered away from the polls. And it’s definitely not the first time that their competence to wield power within our democracy has been questioned. Hundreds of of news articles will tell you that today’s youth are uninformed, uninterested, and out of place in the world of politics. I wanted to find out if this was true. So, in the spirit of the San Diego Foundation, I sent out a survey to a group of students regarding a variety of political and social issues, hoping to discover how their results compared to those documented in Our Greater San Diego Vision. While I did receive a mountain of data, it felt less like a group of peoples’ vision for the future and more like a series of multiple-choice answers. I didn’t want to place any constraints on a student’s imagined utopia. Which is how I found myself sitting across from each of my classmates in a cramped, quiet office, asking them questions about their personal and political lives. When asked the warm-up question “What are some important issues to you that you think your local government should be focusing on?”, students revealed that they were passionate about a number of different things that affect the greater community of San Diego. Certain issues were mentioned (at least briefly) by almost every participant, such as lowering the cost of living, allocating more funding towards the public education system, and protecting the environment. Other issues came up far more sporadically, and the way that any given person felt about these issues was often dependent solely on their own personal experience. But a surprising number of students voiced their concern about the prevalence of homelessness, the exploitation of migrant workers, and problems within our systems of government—far more students than these issues could possibly have personally affected. Clearly, their thoughts were not only for themselves. In response to the question “Are your political views different from those of your parents?”, the feedback was mixed. A little over half of students I interviewed said that their views were only slightly different from their parents’. And this makes sense. 80% of survey participants cited their family as a main source of news and information. It’s our parents that ultimately shape the lens through which we see the world, instilling us with their values, beliefs, and experiences. However, the other group, just a little under half of all interviewees, said that their political views were extremely different. The majority of those interviewed—both the subjects who said they are somewhat similar to their parents and those who said they are vastly different—said that the main things constituting a political divide between generations were that they are more involved in current events than their parents, or that they hold more liberal beliefs. Several students mentioned an inner religious turmoil occurring at this point in their lives. “Because my parents are more religious, they’re more closed about some things that I would be open to,” said one student. Some interviewees made the point that school is an environment that naturally leads you to confront other peoples’ beliefs as well as your own, therefore fostering the production of your own political identity independent of your family. Another student said, “I’m trying to mix what I’ve learned from religious ideals with things that I’ve heard from friends that don’t have those, because they both sound right.”
It’s not just differences in religious ideals widening the gap between the newer generation and the last. It’s the ever-changing political and social landscape. “I did a year of debate, so I learned a lot that my parents didn’t know,” said one student. “I want to say I’m a little more aware than they are of what’s going on and a little more active in trying to change it.” As it has in every generation, the culture of our nation has changed since the previous generation’s time. Over the past three decades, average college tuition has increased by 823%. The average earnings of 20-24 year olds has decreased from $22,000 to $17,500. The explosion of social media and startup funds, the widespread use of new technologies like the iPhone, and other recent inventions have altered the way that young adults navigate through their environment. But is it true that today’s youth are more knowledgeable about (and equipped to deal with) these changes than their parents? Many students seemed to think so. Upon hearing the question, one student responded “I think all of us are different from our parents. It doesn’t matter how you grew up, we’re the ones who are in school learning. We’re the ones dealing with the actual issues now… If they went to our school, they’d be like ‘What? This is completely different.’” Even though students expressed confidence in their own ability to solve the world’s problems, this confidence doesn’t extend very far beyond themselves. A series of questions on the survey asked participants to rate their agreement with the idea that San Diego would be a better place if they were in charge. 40% of participants were in direct agreement, and 35% said it would neither improve or worsen. When asked what the state of San Diego would be if their parents were in charge, the results were almost perfectly mirrored: 41% were in disagreement. Only 25% thought the city would improve if their friends and classmates were running it. “Do you think you’re ready to be an adult?” was the question that received the most nervous laughter and lengthy pauses from participants. Several people said no, they weren’t ready. Others said they were scared, that they didn’t know how to prepare themselves for the arbitrary rules and responsibilities of this new world inching ever nearer to them. But a surprising number of students—a little over half of all participants—said the opposite. “I kind of want that to come quick,” said one student. “I know it’s a lot more work, but at this point I’m excited to get to the next stage of my life.” Though they admitted to feeling a sense of intimidation surrounding the idea of “growing up”, the majority were more excited about its prospects than they were frightened of it (or at least were brave enough to say so). Quite a few students even responded that they didn’t feel it would be such an extreme change from their current lives. “I have the experience of being an adult,” said another student. “I drive now. I work. I do a lot of things like an adult.” This and other examples seem to contradict the portrait FOX News painted of a careless, uninformed, and disconnected youth. Instead, students showed that they are confident, thoughtful, and sometimes even actively involved in the adult world. They’re developing their own political beliefs. They’re taking up the responsibilities that adult life offers. They’re involved in their communities and ready to affect the world around them. They’re being told to pick majors of study, begin their careers, start paying taxes, buy homes and vehicles, and support the nation---but not to make the political decisions that will affect their immediate and long-term futures.
The reach of the youth is greater than that of the elderly, at least on a nationwide scale. There are thirty nine million seniors in the country, and around forty six million young adults. Clearly, the reason young voices aren’t heard has less to do with numbers and more to do with initiative; if young people showed up to vote at the same rate as seniors did, they would have a significant majority in the country’s decision making process. But voting rates among young adults are dismal. Is this because of the way that older members of society perceive youth? Is it because of campaigns that discourage young people from expressing their political opinions? Or is it due to something else entirely, something deeply ingrained in our society that gives the elderly an advantage in politics? The reason isn’t quite so simple. Even though 73% of those surveyed said that they were actively interested in the events and decisions that affect our community, over a quarter of those interviewed expressed doubt that their voices and votes would make a difference. A few interviewees expressed a lingering dislike for politics in general, having become annoyed with hearing politicians discuss issues that didn’t interest them throughout their childhoods. And now that they have to listen, they’re not sure where to start. Despite their distaste for the idea of politics, every single participant was passionate about the issues that are now beginning to tangibly affect them. Youth are quick to attempt to break down established doors through riot, through protest, through social media. But they don’t use the clearest form of power and influence afforded to them: their vote. That door, for all intents and purposes, remains closed. When politics is left to the elderly, the youth of the nation surrender their decision-making power to a generation whose nation has changed in countless ways since they experienced life in the same way. The world that the youth of the nation envision is different than the world that their parents have chosen to create. Very soon, young people will be afforded the societal power to create that new world themselves. All they have to do is show up. As it is now, the vote of the youth is a vast and largely untapped resource. Imagine if we could put it to work. |