“This generation of young Americans is as engaged as we have ever seen them in a midterm election cycle."

John della volpe
Polling director 
harvard kennedy     Institute of POlitics

But this recent uptick belies a long trend in low voter turnout among youth and increasing frustration with our current political system – 35% of millennials say they are losing faith in American democracy.

So how can we turn this moment of civic action into a movement of long-term participation in our democracy? Quality civic education may be the key.

Young voters have consistently had the lowest rates of voter turnout among any age cohort since the voting age was lowered to 18 in 1972. In the 2014 midterm elections, only 20% of eligible young people turned out to vote – the lowest turnout in U.S. history. And it’s not just voting. College students who say they are very likely to participate in a protest during their college years “peaked” recently at just 8.5%.

At the same time, civic education has been on the decline. While most states have a civics requirement, only a quarter of young people earn a “proficient” rating. And this proficiency is skewed: wealthier, white students are four to six times more likely to exceed proficiency than their low-income Hispanic and Black counterparts. Inequality in civic education is contributing to a profound “civic empowerment gap” whereby non-white and especially poor citizens do not enjoy an equal voice in our democracy.

So would investment in civic education improve participation in our democracy?  

Quality education in civics has shown an increased propensity to vote, increased media literacy and likelihood of following current events, and can teach young people communication and critical thinking skills. Civic education is also a family affair; students who receive quality civic education are more likely to discuss ideas with their parents and families. Students who receive quality civic education are also four times more likely to volunteer in their community and less likely to drop-out of high school.

Photo Courtesy of Youth Leadership Institute    

Despite the positive benefits of quality civic education, this subject matter receives far less investment from federal, state, and philanthropic budgets than other programs such as STEM and English/language arts.

While schools are the primary driver of civic education, philanthropy can play an important role.

Our approach will focus on proven practices to enhance civic education, notably for underserved communities, through action-oriented practices. With action civics, “students are encouraged to develop identities as citizens (with rights and responsibilities)” and address problems they care about by influencing policy or programs. Action civics, such as training high school students to be poll workers or helping students lobby their city council to solve a problem in their community, can complement more formal civic education in the classroom.

Photo Courtesy of Youth Leadership Institute    

Action civics vary from holding mock elections to lobbying a school board. Generation Citizen creates semester-long programs that allow students to identify, frame, and attempt to change an underlying problem in their community on issues from homelessness to water quality. Facing History allows students to examine difficult historical issues and make connections to current events in the context of their community and individual identity. iCivics creates video games for students around government, politics, and public policy.

This is a pivotal moment. Despite low youth participation historically and a lack of investment, we are seeing the rise of a civically-inclined generation and creative solutions to help bring civics alive. Now is the time to invest in youth.