Stock Photo ID: 285748356
By Tyler Hartl ’24, staff writer
Apathy, particularly political apathy in the United States is on the rise, which should be concerning for all of us since, if left unremedied, there will be significant ramifications for our democracy.
According to goodparty.org, a group committed to supporting viable independent candidates, political apathy, also known as voter apathy, may be defined as the disinterest or indifference of eligible voters towards participating in electoral processes. This apathy bleeds into voter turnout, engagement in political discourse, and general concern for the world around us.
Voter turnout rose significantly in the 2020 general election as more than 62.8% of voting age, or 154.8 million people, voted in the election, according to Pew Research. A generally high turnout from the 2018 midterm elections would continue through the November 2022 midterm elections.
Even with record turnout in the 2020 general election, Americans would only place 31 out of 50 selected countries in the Pew Research Center study. The criteria for selecting countries were based on factors such as highly developed economies and democratic traditions. Thus, prompting the question, why are Americans still relatively disinterested in politics?
Many plausible explanations exist for Americans’ comparative disinterest in government and politics. Belief in the power of one’s vote, distrust of politicians and government systems, general discontent with society, and barriers to voting are all valid points that goodparty.org highlights.
The United States faces a trust crisis, particularly pertaining to figures of authority such as the government. Pew Research reported that public trust in the government had reached near-record lows as of September 2023, with only 15% of individuals polled being able to say they trust the government in Washington, D.C., to do the right thing most of the time. 25% of Democrats or Democrat-leaning independents agreed with such a statement vs 8% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents.
Tom Nichols, an instructor at Harvard Extension School and the U.S. Naval War College, has his own opinion on the cause of American apathy and its threat to American democracy. Nichols does not believe such a trend results from the usual explanations, globalization or economic activity, but instead one of cultural shifts. Nichols states, “We are expecting too much from democracy without really having to participate in it.” According to Nichols, we have become very entitled. He further states that we tend to pin the blame of inconveniences among significant things in our lives on the failure of democracy. “When people say democracy has to do better, normally they don’t say we have to do better. They say the government has to do better.” Nichols uses the example of healthcare in that those who ask why they have no healthcare and need healthcare tend to vote for politicians who vote against such policies. He then reminds us that we choose the people, we choose the policies, and that our nihilism has only fed into our state as “surly villagers.”
There is an excellent need for nuance when discussing the state of the world and our current apathetic condition. However, this argument by Nichols only reinforces the heart of the issue. We, as Americans, feel we lack agency, resulting in a lack of accountability. We must restore our agency to alter the status quo of our current involvement in politics, government, and global affairs.
Firstly, this means removing as many barriers to voting as possible so that individuals do not feel they are fighting an uphill battle to exercise their right to vote. The next step to establishing agency within the American people would be for the government and citizens to collaborate to create environments encouraging and rewarding participation. When citizens feel the system that governs them is more responsible, accessible, and impactful, there will be a more significant trend toward trust. With trust in our political representation and government growing, the apathy will continue to wane until we inevitably realize our power in our system of government, leading to accountability in our participation.
We have gotten away from compromises and “crossing the aisle,” which cannot continue. Dialogue is a must, for without it, our collective apathy will only continue to grow until there is no trust left in our democracy as our division grows to an irreparable state. At that point, who could defend the fabric of our democracy? We have the capacity for change, so let’s continue to ward off apathy in favor of building the world we see fit; we may realize that our voices are more impactful than we could have imagined.