ABSTRACT

YOUTH INVOLVEMENT IN UNCONVENTIONAL POLITICS – DISINTEREST OR A SIGN OF POLITICAL MATURITY?

This article analyzes the factors that influence young peopleʼs decision to participate in voting, exploring the role of the Columbia model, reference groups, and social influences. Social networks, which function as reference groups, play a significant role in shaping young peopleʼs voting behavior. These platforms can influence young people to adopt unconventional forms of politics, such as online activism, protests, and environmental campaigns, which they perceive as more effective than traditional voting.

Distrust in the effectiveness of voting and political leaders, combined with the feeling that their issues are not being taken seriously, contribute to electoral absenteeism (Lup & Tóka, 2021). Young people who belong to groups that consider traditional politics ineffective tend to adopt the same attitudes, distancing themselves from the electoral process. Despite the growing interest in unconventional political forms, actual involvement in such activities remains limited, partly due to the perception that these actions do not have an immediate impact.

In conclusion, the article emphasizes that young people's decision to vote is influenced by multiple social and psychological factors, and to encourage their participation in voting, better representation of their interests is essential, combined with adequate political education and active involvement of political leaders.

Keywords: Absenteeism, Youth voting, Youth voter participation, Unconventional politics, Political involvement.

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