By a CPJ Staff Member
The Cooper Point Journal (CPJ) recently conducted a survey asking people on campus how they identified politically and why. Respondents were given four options: liberal, conservative, neither, or apathetic. Out of 139 responses, 64 (46 percent) identified as liberal, 58 (41.7 percent) identified as neither liberal nor conservative, 17 (12.2 percent) said they were apathetic, and none identified as conservative. 36 respondents, split between the “liberal” and “neither” categories, placed themselves further to the left than the Democratic Party.
Many respondents who identified as apathetic expressed a sense of despair or disillusionment. One respondent, a senior named Aife, wrote that “All is lost; there is no hope.” Another stated “All politics should die. It’s a means to divide the populace, so the people in power can stay in power.” Julian, a sophomore, wrote “Politics are negative. I think there should be less laws.”
Our findings reflect national and international trends. According to a 2018 poll by Gallup, 51 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 24 have a positive view of socialism, compared to 45 percent having a positive view of capitalism. A previous 2017 poll by NBC News reported that a strong majority of millennials across several demographics feel like a third major political party is necessary. In countries such as the United Kingdom, young people have flocked to support politicians perceived as “anti-establishment,” including self-proclaimed “socialists” like UK Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Our results show that the common viewpoint of youth being apathetic towards politics is false. Many respondents had a definite seriousness to justify their answer, saying that they held their beliefs because “I don’t want to die,” or “I want social justice and equality for all.” James wrote that “The people who want me dead need to be removed from positions of power.” With suicide the second leading cause of death for those aged 10 to 34 according to the National Institute of Mental Health, accelerating climate change, a nationwide housing crisis, and a slew of other issues confronting them, young people are increasingly alienated from normative political discourse. Alternative perspectives, such as socialism and anarchism, offer for many a way to take meaningful action outside of channels they find to be discredited, such as the two-party system.
Many students have transformative visions for the future, as opposed to profound despair. A respondent named Jack said that “…our society is based on corruption and it must be torn down and reconstructed with the most marginalized people in mind.” Another, Simon, wrote “I believe that in a democratic society wealth and resources must in some way be democratically controlled and distributed. The defining feature of life should not be struggle and competition for resources.” McKenna, a senior, asserted “I’d rather fail at an ‘unreasonable’ endeavor and help some people in the process than stick staunchly to the status-quo and let people suffer.”
It will be interesting to see how students will translate their ideas into action on and off campus, how the coming 2020 election affects discourse and opinion, and what widespread interest in alternative viewpoints will mean in practice.
