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Survey shows young Americans feel politically disenchantedBy Jeff Flock/CNN
July 27, 1999 CHICAGO (July 27) -- In a country where government is meant to be of the people, by the people and for the people, more and more Americans feel estranged from politics. A survey called "America Unplugged" reports that 64 percent of Americans are disconnected from their government. The biggest percentage of detachment, a whole 69 percent, is present among young Americans who see government as irrelevant to their lives. "I am totally, totally disconnected, I don't know what's going on in the world at all," says Aisha Usmani, a pre-med student at Emory University in Atlanta. "There's so many ways to get involved, I really don't care that much." Usmani is the majority. Yet Americans 65 and older seem to feel less politically disenchanted. They recognize, however, that their kids are less involved in politics but they tend to blame themselves for that. "I think it's my fault that my kids aren't as involved as I have been," says Don Gregory an elderly American who says he grew up talking politics and government around the dinner table. "I sort of blame myself." But to many young people today, government is irrelevant. They regard the booming economy as an assurance of their personal security and they do not see how the government could fix the issues that trouble them. As for what government does do: the poll found only one in four Americans believe it pursues the people's agenda. The result is a declining trust in government. The poll found almost 60 percent have confidence in the military, 56 percent in small business and 43 percent in the Supreme Court. Even big corporations scored higher than the U.S. Congress. The only institution people felt worse about are the national news media. The poll says people in general, young people in particular, just don't feel any ownership of government. Sixty-five percent of young people think of it as "the government" while 32 percent "our government." Among seniors it's just the reverse. Young people, it seems, have written government off, at least while they're young. "I just focus on school, getting my grades, getting into medical school," Usmani says. "That's my life right now." She figures she'll be more connected some day , saying "maybe when I'm older." |
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