Civic duty is a motivator for only a small minority of young voters. Strategies and Messages for Engagement Traditional motivations for political participation and voting are not working well for youth. Except for a small minority of young people, the sense of civic duty is muted. Strategies and messages for engagement must include creative and participatory solutions if any real change is going to occur. Generally, there also needs to be more effective education to provide youth with the information and skills they need to become motivated, enlightened, and active citizens.
Schools have a profound influence on young people's lives.
Civic and political education should be a high priority in our schools. The research shows that young people are highly critical of how school government and civics classes are taught. The respondents do not feel that high schools do a very good job of teaching students about current events, the democratic process or voting. Clearly, data from this survey and other statistics on youth knowledge about civics support this criticism. Our educators should make every effort not only to encourage students, but also to teach them how to be effective citizens.