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Running Head: HOW TO CHANGE THE POLITICAL SYSTEM 1

Politics Have Failed Us:

How to Change the System

Michael A. DiPaolo

BYU–Idaho

HOW TO CHANGE THE POLITICAL SYSTEM 2

Abstract

Millennials vote less in political elections than any other age group. Does

prophetic guidance make Mormon Millennials vote more than the national

average? This project used surveys to determine the level of self-reported

voting among students at BYU–Idaho as well as a snapshot of their general

political knowledge. Focus groups allowed students to elaborate on survey

responses. Unexpectedly, students surveyed reported that they vote much

higher than the national average, but lack political knowledge. This shows

that voting rates are only an indicator of political activity, but not able to

evaluate the effectiveness of each citizen. Moving forward, Michael DiPaolo is

developing a website, shown here in demo form, to aid Millennials in

politically educating themselves.


ContentsIntroduction.....................................................................................................4Methodology....................................................................................................4Quantitative Results........................................................................................5

Demographic Analysis...................................................................................5Political Knowledge.......................................................................................5Political Activity.............................................................................................6Attitude Toward Politics.................................................................................9

Qualitative Results.........................................................................................10Analysis..........................................................................................................12

Quantitative Results....................................................................................12Qualitative Results......................................................................................12

Conclusion.....................................................................................................13References.....................................................................................................14


Politics Have Failed Us:

How to Change the System

Harvard’s Institute of Politics reported that “less than one-in-four (23%)

young Americans say they will “definitely be voting” in November [2013]”

(Low midterm, 2013). That bothered me, and it made me wonder if Mormon

Millennials were just as politically inactive as the rest of the nation. Doctrine

and Covenants Section 134 states:

We believe that governments were instituted of God for the benefit of

man; and that he holds men accountable for their acts in relation to

them, both in making laws and administering them, for the good and

safety of society.

Given that Mormons receive prophetic counsel to sustain their

governments, I hypothesized that Mormon Millennials should be more

politically active than the national average, but still less than desirable

(developed democracies average 70% voter turnout. The U.S. averages 60%

(Voter turnout).).

Methodology

Existing research was first sought out and compiled. Missing

information necessary to proving the hypothesis was then gathered through

a survey and focus group.

A survey was sent to a random sampling of 300 BYU–Idaho students.

50 responded. Respondents who provided an email address were invited to


attend a focus group. One focus group was held; seven people were in

attendance.

Quantitative Results

My survey entitled “Mormon Millennial Politics” was sent to a random

sampling of 300 current BYU–Idaho students. The sampling was provided by

the school. 50 responses were recorded (35 complete; 15 partial; 70%

completion rate).

Demographic Analysis

All respondents were between the ages of 18 and 29, the average age

was 21.5, and respondents came from 15 of the 50 United States.

Politically, 27 (56.3%) identify themselves as Republican, 2 (4.2%) as

Democrat, 5 (10.4%) as Independent, 6 (12.5%) as None, and 8 (16.7%) as

pertaining to other miscellaneous parties.

Political Knowledge

Respondents were asked to rate themselves on “how knowledgeable”

they are “regarding politics.” 29% ranked themselves as below average (1–

4), 29% ranked themselves as average (5), and 43% ranked themselves as

above average (6–9). No one ranked themself a 10. The average score was a

5.24.

When asked if respondents “want to be more knowledgeable,” 40 (82.6%)

answered “yes,” 7 (14.3%) answered “no,” and 2 (0.4%) answered “don’t


care.”

The survey asked a series of questions to assess the general political

knowledge of respondents. The questions are listed below along with how

many were able to answer each question accurately:

What is the name of the current president of the Senate?

o Answered correctly: 5 (13.1%)

What is the name of the current speaker of the House?


How many U.S. Senators are there?


Political Activity

Respondents were asked if they voted in the 2012 and 2014 elections.

Results are displayed in Table 1.

Table 1Respondents Who Voted in the 2012/2014 Election

Year Yes No Not eligible2012 15

(31.3%)

14 (29%) 19 (39.6%)2012 (of eligible) 15

(51.7%)

14

(48.3%)

N/A2014 6 (12.5%) 32

(66.7%)

10 (20.8%)2014 (of eligible) 6 (15.8%) 32

(84.2%)

N/A

Respondents were also asked if they were going to vote in the 2015

primary election and the 2016 presidential election. Results are shown in


Table 2 and Figures 1 and 2.


Table 2Respondents Planning to Vote in the 2015/2016 Elections

Answer Selected 2015 2016Definitely yes 16

(33.3%)

30

(62.5%)Probably yes 14

(29.1%)

9 (18.8%)I didn’t know there were 7 (14.6%) 4 (8.3%Probably not 9 (18.8%) 2 (4.2%)Definitely not 2 (4.2%) 3 (6.3%)


Figure 1. Are you going to vote in the 2015 presidential election? This figure

illustrates how confident respondents were in their future 2015 vote.

Figure 2: Are you going to vote in the 2015 primary election? This figure

illustrates how confident respondents were in their future 2016 vote.

Exactly 50% reported that they are currently registered to vote.


Additionally, 28 (63.6%) agree that “other people [their] age are

interested/concerned about their community.” When asked for examples of

how they have “seen others demonstrate their interest,” discussing issues on

social media, voting, and giving service were commonly cited responses. The

other 16 (36.4%) disagree.

Attitude Toward Politics

When asked if they “think that politicians in Washington D.C. are

addressing issues that matter to [them],” 20 (45.5%) answered “yes,” and 24

(54.5%) answered “no.”

However, when asked if they “feel like politics are directly relevant to your

life,” 31 (89%) answered “yes,” and only 4 (11.4%) answered “no.” When

asked if they “feel like [they] have the power to change anything in

government,” 12 (34.2%) answered “yes,” and 23 (65.7%) answered “no.”

Some have suggested that the ability to vote online would help voter

turnout; Of those who responded to this survey, 23 (65.7%) agree, and 12

(34.2%) disagree.


Qualitative Results

Survey results from BYU–Idaho students were able to clarify some

answers. Many respondents think that politicians in Washington D.C. are

more concerned with selfish issues like retaining a position in government

than with the needs of the people. Many also think that politicians are more

interested in fighting with each other than with solving the issues facing the

country.

Respondents were split as to whether others their age are interested or

concerned with their community. Those who answered affirmatively cited

food drives, volunteer work, and community service as examples of interest

and concern. Those who answered negatively frequently referred to

“arguing” or “not thinking” in some form. They feel that others their age are

too selfish or too lazy to be concerned about the community.

A majority of respondents (89%) think that politics are directly relevant to

their lives. When asked to explain, few were able to cite a reason other than

“because I live in this country.”

Respondents were also split as to whether they have the power to change

anything in government or not. Those who feel powerless explained that

their vote does not count because it is one among millions, and their

representatives are not looking out for them. Those who feel empowered

referred to the fact that each congressman can be contacted by individuals.

During the focus group, an interesting problem emerged from one


individual and agreed upon by the group: there is too much to know about

politics. It is hard to start learning because no one knows where to start.

In the articles read, the most predominant obstacles to the Millennial’s

political participation are the following:

1. Lack of trust in government and/or elected officials

2. Lack of political knowledge

3. Dislike of partisanship

4. Lack of perceived relevance

5. Disbelief that a single vote can make a difference


Analysis

Quantitative Results

It is no surprise that the average age is about 21 at the school, and

that the dominate party is Republican. These numbers support the

authenticity of the sample. It is also important to note that every student

surveyed is currently enrolled in an institution for higher learning, which

automatically makes him or her more likely to be politically knowledgeable

and active. The results that demonstrate a lack of knowledge or activity

should be more striking for the same reason.

Over one-third of respondents ranked themselves as being more

politically knowledgeable than average, but of those, 72% were unable to

name the president of the Senate, 56% were unable to name the speaker of

the House, and 33% were unable to correctly cite the number of U.S.

Senators currently serving. This shows that this survey brought out some

self-reporting bias. People are not as politically knowledgeable as they think

they are.

Of those eligible to vote, the reported turnout was above the national

average. This number could be affected by the self-reporting bias, but could

also be affected by the fact that this sample represents a well-educated

population.

Qualitative Results

Most explanatory answers show that this group has a low level of trust for


government. That holds consistent with other reports and studies targeting

the Millennial generation. The perception is that politicians are selfish and

not looking out for the common people. In a focus group, attendees were

unable to give clear examples as to how they know this to be the case, but

the feeling remains. Attendees also confirmed that fighting is a big perceived

part of politics. They indicated that these arguments are rarely, if ever,

productive. The relevance of politics suffers the same situation: some feel

politics are relevant, but they are unable to give clear examples of how.

Those who feel powerless can only reference voting as a form of political

expression. It is likely that they are not aware of other, potentially more

effective forms of political expression.

Conclusion

Existing research showed that Millennials in Utah vote less than the

national average. Mormons make up 60% of Utah’s population, so this may

suggest that Mormon Millennials vote less than the national average.

Survey results show that Mormon Millennials at BYU–Idaho voted in 2012

at twice the rate of those in Utah. These results support my hypothesis, but

they are self-reported and do not account for self-reporting bias.


References

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http://theweek.com/article/index/270737/why-millennials-dont-vote

Curtis, R. (2015). Study: Utah millennials stand apart from nation. Utah

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http://utahpoliticalcapitol.com/2015/07/17/study-utah-millennials-stand-

apart-from-nation/

Fox, L. (2014). Few millennials plan to vote in 2014. US News. Retrieved from

http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/ballot-2014/2014/04/29/few-

millennials-plan-to-vote-in-2014

Gehrke, R. (2014). Mormons’ close-knit nature, values drive them to GOP. The

Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved from

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/58407521-90/authors-become-church-

democrats.html.csp

Harris, M. (2014). Millennials’ politics are shaped by our dysfunctional

system. Aljazeera. Retrieved from

http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2014/7/millennials-

politicalviewslibertariansocialist.html

Jacobsen, M. (2015). Report: Utah millennials more politically independent,

supportive of gay rights. Deseret News. Retrieved from

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865632543/Report-Utah-millennials-

more-politically-independent-supportive-of-gay-marriage.html?pg=all


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Millennials and boomers: Politics and society (part iv). (2015). Utah

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and-society-part-iv/

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Raftery, I. (2012). Nonvoters: They're too busy, fed up or say their vote

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theyre-too-busy-fed-up-or-say-their-vote-doesnt-count?lite

Stack, P. (2012). Mormon apostles do vote, new study reports. The Salt Lake

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Survey | Diverse, disillusioned, and divided: Millennial values and voter

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engagement-2012/#.VmjI1UorJpg

Thompson, D. (2014). Study: Millennials deeply confused about their politics,

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analysis/voter-turnout/

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