Every day, we and our partners across the country interact with teens determined to make their voices heard by ensuring they and their friends are registered to vote. But I can understand why so many other kids feel alienated by our broken system, as the poll shows.

“A pervasive sense of threat is defining everyday life for young Americans, and they are increasingly losing faith in fundamental systems of democracy and political participation,” said Sophia Robertson, Student Chair of the Harvard Public Opinion Project. “Young people have consistently felt unheard; now they feel unheard and actively in crisis.”

The poll surveyed 2,018 18- to 29-year-olds and half of those polled say people like them have no real say in government — up 15 points from 2017. Harvard’s findings cut across party lines: 53% of Democrats, 52% of Independents, and 48% of Republicans all feel voiceless. It found only a small decline in intention to vote, with 35% saying they will “definitely” vote, compared to 36% in 2022 and 37% in 2018.

The pollsters note: “What once converted concern into action is becoming something more conditional — a generation still paying attention, still showing up, but increasingly unsure that their voice carries weight.”

That could foment a dangerous cycle: fewer young voters believe political participation delivers results, which means they may be less inclined to vote – so campaigns and candidates pay less attention to their concerns, which could make them even less likely to vote.

John Della Volpe, Director of Polling at the Institute of Politics, sums it up: “Too many young Americans feel invisible to the people in power — let alone represented by them.” As he notes, “In a democracy, that’s a signal leaders can’t afford to ignore.”

And nor can anyone else who cares about democracy! It’s on us to show the young Americans in our lives that their voices do matter, and that they can influence the future of this country. They’re extremely concerned about inflation and housing, and only 26% of them feel hopeful about the future of the US — down from 55% in 2021, (which was towards the end of the pandemic)! Majorities of young voters believe both parties prioritize elites over people like them.

Goodness knows our political system is in desperate need of reform at multiple levels. At the same time, what we need to guard against is feeling so overwhelmed that we and the young people we care about become discouraged from using the most powerful tools at our disposal, and that includes the right to vote.

Running a drive and registering peers to vote opens real-world conversations, guided by educators, about how representative democracy works and how the voices of students fit in. It invites them to talk about issues that affect their communities, how laws get passed, and who might better represent their needs. The very exercise of thinking about their power — and how they can use it — is a way to counter their sense of losing agency, so comprehensively captured in the Harvard poll. When more students experience this kind of thinking, and when they see what it feels like to empower their peers, together, they build both agency and hope.

That’s why my energy and purpose come from the high schoolers doing the work to register their peers, the teachers, parents and election volunteers helping them to make their voices count. We’ll be sharing more about these in the coming weeks, but you can see some photos below that tell a story that inspires me every day and I hope will inspire you.

Original article:  thecivicscenter.substack.com