Off the Spectrum

Written by: Kathleen Walpole

Generation Y¹ in the United States is less politically inclined than older generations. Compared to the Baby Boom Generation² in the United States, Generation Y’s lack of civic engagement is often tied directly to the change in American social and family structures. Robert Putnam argued in his book, Bowling Alone, that compared to the Baby Boom Generation, the youth of America today are less likely to attend rallies, run for local public offices, or stay informed on issues that matter to their communities (Putnam, 2000). Other scholars and journalists have also expressed that Generation Y has become too lazy to care about the issues affecting the world. This concern has caused many to argue that civic engagement levels can be returned through the use of social media.

Firstly, the definition of civic engagement needs to be explored in this context. Good civic engagement is generally built on moral obligations from citizens in a democracy (Walpole, 2012). Citizens have a range of options they can do in order to be civically involved. Lester Milbrath, author of Political Participation, gave a brief sketch of what the various hierarchy levels of political involvement there are.