Conclusions

Abstract

Only 37.4 per cent of young people aged 18 to 24 voted in the 2008 Canadian federal general election (Elections Canada, 2008). in Britain, turnout among those aged 18–24 fell from 39 per cent to 37 per cent between 2001 and 2005, though overall turnout increased by 2 per cent to 61 per cent (Electoral Commission, 2005). In the United States, 40 per cent of eligible voters under 30 cast a vote in 2000 (Kirby and Kawashima-Ginsberg, 2009). These and similar figures in other Western democracies (IDEA, 1999) have resulted in the widespread concern that new generations are becoming increasingly disconnected from the political process. New generations’ withdrawal from institutions would challenge the essence of representative democracy, because citizens’ participation provides the legitimation and input necessary for its correct functioning.