Why should we learn more about politics at school?

Politics.

The Oxford dictionary labels it as ‘the activities associated with the governance of a country or area, especially the debate between parties having power:’

But for many, this definition will feel dull, distant, or meaningless. It is a growing trend that young people are increasingly disengaged from Politics. The Electoral Commission, an independent body which oversees elections, published statistics in March of this year, concluding that only 34% of 15–17-year-olds are interested in UK Politics, despite being close to the eligible age to vote.

This lack of interest isn’t isolated to this age group either, in fact in recent years, voter turnout has continually declined. The lower the turnout becomes, the more unrepresentative the outcome is. It’s therefore crucial to engage our future generations.

Take last years general election. Despite only 34% of the electorate (the people who are able to vote), voting for the Labour party, they still managed to win 63% of the seats in the House of Commons. This is as a result of the UK voting system, ‘first past the post’. Labour now makes up the Government and holds power in the House of Commons.

Surely this statistic proves how crucial it is to encourage young people to engage in politics. Yet the question remains; Do young people not care, or are they not properly informed about how to get involved in politics?

The same Electoral Commission survey found that many young people do not fully understand how our political system works. Only 31% answered the survey saying that they understand what the UK government does. It is clear from the current demographic that more needs to be done to educate these young people and get them involved in politics.

There is a positive indicator that many young people are eager to learn, as 44% of those who answered the survey, claimed that they wanted to learn more about politics in lessons. As so many young people feel they are not learning enough about politics in school, more work should be done to introduce this form of democratic education. This would allow young people to gain confidence in their political knowledge, from a trusted safe source.

Politics affects everyone, whether you are currently eligible to vote or not. Isn’t it time we understood it?