|
" Active on the Street but Apathetic at the Ballot Box? The Voting Behavior of Tunisian Youth (2011 - Present) in a Comparative Perspective "
Dobbs, Kirstie Lynn
Schraeder, Peter J
| Document Type
|
:
|
Latin Dissertation
|
| Language of Document
|
:
|
English
|
| Record Number
|
:
|
1105393
|
| Doc. No
|
:
|
TLpq2308205293
|
| Main Entry
|
:
|
Dobbs, Kirstie Lynn
|
|
|
:
|
Schraeder, Peter J
|
| Title & Author
|
:
|
Active on the Street but Apathetic at the Ballot Box? The Voting Behavior of Tunisian Youth (2011 - Present) in a Comparative Perspective\ Dobbs, Kirstie LynnSchraeder, Peter J
|
| College
|
:
|
Loyola University Chicago
|
| Date
|
:
|
2019
|
| student score
|
:
|
2019
|
| Degree
|
:
|
Ph.D.
|
| Page No
|
:
|
212
|
| Abstract
|
:
|
This dissertation explores why young people turnout at lower rates than older generations in each of Tunisia’s post-revolution elections despite Tunisia’s unique context as a nascent democracy brought about by youth-led revolutionary change. These elections include the 2011 constituent assembly elections, the 2014 national elections, and the 2018 municipal elections. The variable “age” is one of the most robust predictors of turnout in almost every democracy across the globe. Scholars attempt to explain youth voter abstention beyond “age” by arguing that a lack of socio-demographic resources, disconnect from politics, heightened political cynicism, values and norms, and lack of mobilization efforts explain youth abstention in various democracies. By using data from the Arab Barometer, the Afro Barometer, and an original survey fielded in 2018, I find that the strongest explanation of youth abstention does not go beyond the fact that this cohort is young. This finding is supported by experimental evidence that shows youth do not differ from older age cohorts in terms of exerting social pressures to vote and their political attitudes towards candidates. These results call for future research to take a more nuanced approach to understanding the evolution of political attitudes and values and norms following a democratic transition while further exploring the socialization effects of major historical political changes on youth. Also, these results show that scholars and practitioners need to investigate alternative methods for promoting youth voter participation that go beyond traditional “Get out the Vote” tactics employed in many western democracies.
|
| Subject
|
:
|
Political science
|
|
|
:
|
Regional studies
|
| |