Is Voting for Young People?

Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication Page
Contents
Preface to the Fifth Edition
Acknowledgments
List of Illustrations
Introduction
	An Overview
CHAPTER 1 The Aging of Regular Newspaper Readers
	Who Reads a Newspaper Every Day Anymore?
	Has Reading a Newspaper for Political Content Changed?
	Can Similar Patterns Be Found in Other Established Democracies?
	Do Young Adults Just Not Like to Read?
	Conclusion: A Future for Newspapers?
CHAPTER 2 The Aging Audience for Politics on TV
	Is Network TV News a Dying Dinosaur?
	Is Cable News Picking up the Slack?
	Where Have All the Water-Cooler Shows Gone?
	Can Similar Patterns Be Found in Other Established Democracies?
	Conclusion: Can Soft News Save the Day?
CHAPTER 3 Don’t Ask Anyone Under 30
	Have Young People Become Less Likely to Follow Political Events?
	A Case Study of 2004 News Stories
	Is This the Least Politically Knowledgeable Generation of American Youth Ever?
	Are Young People in Other Democracies Similarly Clueless About Politics?
	Conclusion: The Impact of Political Knowledge
CHAPTER 4 Where Have All the Young Voters Gone?
	Turnout by Age in American Presidential Elections Since 1964
	Turnout by Age in Parliamentary Elections: Change Over Four Decades
	The Turnout Gap in American Second-Order Elections
	The Turnout Gap in Second-Order Elections in Other Established Democracies
	Conclusion: Was Lowering the Voting Age a Mistake?
CHAPTER 5 Do Young Adults See Voting as a Civic Duty?
	Have Young Americans Become Less Likely to View Voting as a Duty?
	Can Similar Trends Be Found in Other Democracies?
	Conclusion: A Window into the Future?
CHAPTER 6 Does Low Youth Turnout Really Matter?
	Does Position in the Life Cycle Affect Policy Positions?
	Is There a Generation Gap in American Voting Behavior?
	Are There Age Gaps in Ideology and Voting Behavior in Other Countries?
	Conclusion: A Government for Older People?
CHAPTER 7 A New Civic Engagement Among Young People?
	Are Today’s Young People the Volunteer Generation?
	Have Young People Become More Involved in Community Problem Solving and Contacting Governmental Officials?
	Have Young People Turned to Unconventional Forms of Political Participation?
	Conclusion: Young People’s Place in the Forest of Political Participation
CHAPTER 8 Was Voting for Young People in the Obama Era?
	Did the First Internet Campaign Change Age Patterns of Political Attention?
	Did the Campaigns Really Reach out to Young People in the Obama Elections?
	How Much Did Young People Participate in the 2008 Nomination Process?
	Participation Rates by Age in the 2008 and 2012 General Elections
	Where Did All the Young Voters Go in the 2010 and 2014 Midterms?
	Conclusion: Last Place in Turnout is Nothing to Crow About
CHAPTER 9 Young People and Politics in the Trump Era
	The Decline in Young Voters’ Support for the Democrats, 2008–2016
	Hillary Clinton’s Abysmal Ratings Among Young People
	Did Trump’s Extreme Issue Stands Turn Off Young People?
	The Continuing Age Turnout Gap in 2016
	The Youth Vote in the 2018 Midterm Election
	Conclusion
CHAPTER 10 What Can Be Done?
	How to Improve Turnout Rates Without Compulsory Voting
	Want a Solution? Consider Compulsory Voting
	How Much Support is There for Compulsory Voting?
	Is Compulsory Voting at All Realistic?
Endnotes
Index