In today’s world, politics are a source of conflict and controversy in our society. However, an alarming number of students, even at RHS, are uninformed or have an apathetic attitude towards political issues and events.
This is concerning, especially with the upcoming election, as the results could have a significant impact on the student body after they graduate. Changes in the economy brought on by new policies, for example, could directly make life much easier or harder for new graduates and about 54% of teens worry about affording higher education, according to a survey conducted by Citizens Bank and Junior Achievement USA; therefore, shouldn’t more students engage in politics?
Among the RHS student body, only a small number of students are involved in informative clubs like Young Democrats and Young Republicans. Unfortunately, many agree the vast majority do not care about the political world and simply do not know about current events or their importance.
“Most students don’t really care enough to be informed,” said Kylie Weaver, 10.
A lot of the student body treat politics as a joke, but there is a small group that actually knows about politics, said Ava Sears, 12.
“I feel like some students care about politics, but most of the student population probably doesn’t,” said Joseph Ruiz, 12.
Social media has been a useful tool in spreading information and communicating, but sometimes information is misinformed or biased. Given the sway the social media has on teens, including RHS students, the spread of unreliable information regarding politics can be detrimental. This means the group of students who actually do care and try to keep up with politics, are often misinformed.
“People should be involved if they know what they’re talking about, and not going through social media and believing everything they hear,” Weaver said.
A lot of what students think they’re informed on is just from social media like Instagram or Tiktok and there aren’t a lot of people doing their own research, so they’re not really informed, Sears said.
Between a lack of concern and an influx of misinformation, students will not be prepared to make informed decisions when voting or taking stances on issues, which leads to bias or misrepresentation in government. Additionally, keeping up with new policies and events is essential to navigate the adult world.
It’s important for young people to get involved in politics because they will set up the future for our country and can’t afford to make blind decisions, Ruiz said.
Students need to become more involved because when they’re older, they need to know what their opinion is and why they side with a candidate before voting, said Lolena Abo, 10.
“It’s important that young people understand all that goes into politics and to be as involved as possible in order to make a more educated vote,” said Sienna Connor, 12. “This will end up bettering our country and make our elections more representative of the views and perspectives of the younger generation and what they need from leaders of our country.”
