Engaging Young People Politically through Online Participation

The internet and social networking sites are changing politics in various ways, specifically in the way citizens participate in the democratic process. Participation is vital for democracy to function properly. Young people are an integral part of society but tend to be politically uninvolved. With the increasing role of social networking sites in politics, this medium could bring young people into the political sphere. Seeking to further understand young people ages 18-32 and their political participation online over time, an ordinary least squares regression was used with data from the Pew Research Center in 2008 and 2012. Results supported young people’s participation increasing from the 2008 Presidential Election to the 2012 Presidential Election. This demonstrates the ability of social networking sites and the internet to politically engage young people