Youth Participation in Democratic Life ― Stories of Hope and Disillusion

This book analyses and assesses the contexts, nature and the diversity of young people's participation in European democratic life. The authors provide an interdisciplinary conceptual framework addressing participation, power, democracy, efficacy and media. Using dynamic, original data collected in surveys, focus groups, interviews and a field experiment, Youth Participation in Democratic Life address young people's attitudes towards voting, participation and representation in policy processes and politicians. Democracy is, however, much more than voting, so volunteering and contentious politics are also elaborated upon. Examining the role of traditional and new media in facilitating youth participation in democratic life, as well as the complex dynamics of youth exclusion from economic, educational and social spheres, the book reveals that most young people are far from apathetic about democracy but rather they are critical of current representative democratic systems and the political elites who appear to run these.

Bart Cammaerts is Associate Professor at the Department of Media and Communications of the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK, where he is the director of the PhD program. He is the former chair of the Communication and Democracy Section of ECREA and current vice-chair of the Communication Policy and Technology section of IAMCR.


Michael Bruter is Professor of Political Science at the Department of Government of the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK. He directs the ECREP research initiative in electoral psychology and related 'Inside the Mind of a Voter' project funded by the European Research Council.

Shakuntala Banaji is director of the MSc in Media, Communication and Development in the Department of Media and Communications at the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK. She lectures in development communication, international media and world cinema.

Sarah Harrison is a Research Fellow within the Department of Government at the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK. She currently works on an European Research Council funded project in electoral psychology entitled 'Inside the Mind of a Voter'.

Nick Anstead is Assistant Professor at the Department of Media and Communications of the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK. He is the director of the MSc in Politics and Communication.