If you remember the period of the Cold War, you will think democracy is sacrosanct. A political ideology that was worth fighting for. Democracy has played a pivotal role throughout the evolution of civilizations typically the transformation of power structures of empires, monarchies, and the notion of self-determination. The fundamental elements of democracy including democratic institutions, inclusivity, rule of law, voting right, and political deliberations make it a unique form of government. Of course, these are the hardware elements but the people who actually function these elements are the software that allows democracy to work effectively.
However, the changing dynamics of the global world have observed how democracy has not worked up to the expectations of the currently dominant generation in the world known as Millennials. They are termed Generation Y due to the fact that they were born in the year between 1981 and 1996. According to the report of the World Economic Forum 2021, Millennials are considered the largest world cohort residing in different areas of the world. There are around 1.8 billion Millennials living around the world which constitutes 23 percent of the global population.
Traits of Millennials
They are considered to be the most educated generation. As most of them hold a bachelor’s degree. Millennials are not divided by barriers that were usually found in past. The social connection defines who they really are.
They are highly influential owing to the dominance of social media in their lives. They rely on new technologies for their day-to-day tasks. Their highly influencing traits allow them to keep pace with the evolving technological and social spaces. They are highly motivated in terms of bringing positive change to society. Millennials are the fearless generation as through determination they can bluntly face any difficulty. Out of all the traits of millennials, being concerned for global issues and their rights stands above all. They want a purposeful life with personal values directly aligned with it.
Performance of Democracy
During the last few years, it has been observed that democracy worldwide is in the declining phase. The majority of democratic countries have failed to manage public finances effectively. An example of Italy and Greece can be quoted here, as both of these states have replaced the elected government politicians with technocrats for better management of public finances. In the same way, the performance of democratic countries have also highlighted that democracy is not a cure for corruption. For example, Sri Lanka according to the Corruption Perception Index has been ranked as 102 corrupt countries in the world out of 180 states in 2021. Therefore, democratic countries have been observed to be more corrupt as compared to authoritarian ones.
Moreover, resource inequality is another aspect that judges the performance of democracy. Increasing social and economic inequalities in democratic states have threatened the notion of democracy in a broader context. Citizens’ ability to have equal rights and opportunities, alongside equal health benefits has exacerbated the performance of democracy elsewhere in the world. For example, in the wake of Covid19, democratic countries were unable to manage the health system and provide protection to the people against the lethal coronavirus pandemic. Contrary to democracy, people started praising authoritarian regimes including China for efficiently balancing the crisis.
Millennials eroding confidence in democracy
Millennials covering up 1.8 billion of the world population have been observed as losing interest in democracy as well as democratic institutions. This trend can be analyzed through the lens of recent French Presidential Elections where voters under the age of 35 abstained from casting votes in the election. Voting, which is civic participation and contributes to democracy was significantly ignored by the young population of millennials. Many people might think that millennials who are refraining to participate in democratic processes lack social awareness. However, it will be not wrong to say that millennials are the generation who are well aware of the social inequalities existing in society towards them, and the in-competencies of democratic institutions alongside government officials to overcome the challenges they are currently facing.
Democracy is on the verge of decline owing to the fact of not being able to address the economic needs of millennials. They are witnessing economic segregation in their wealth and fewer opportunities as compared to other generations. They believe that democracy has failed to bring socio-economic opportunities for them and has paved the way for misfortunes in all the major sectors. Considering the example of Pakistan which is a democratic state. According to the report of the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics 2022, around 31 percent of the youth of Pakistan are currently unemployed. The employed ones are working with low wages and many have been fired from their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the context of faith in democracy, millennials are termed to be the most disillusioned nation because democracy has eroded their trust in a broader dimension.
A report from the Center for the Future of Democracy at the University of Cambridge has also pointed out that in every global region, satisfaction with democracy among people of age 18- 34 is on the verge of decline. Millennials being a fearless generation considers political opponents as people with moral flaws. They consider politicians as the ones who act more in their interest rather than the interest of society. Considering an example from Sri Lanka where protestors descended on the palace of the President in the wake of the economic crisis.
Millennials as a threat to Democracy
The growing diverging views in democratic societies are flooring a main threat to democracy. The diverging visions of the millennials have uprooted the unprecedented challenges to the concept of democracy. As internet and technological advancement in the globalized world have strongly influenced the mindset of millennials in the contemporary timeframe. Millennials being the first generation to grow up under the influence of the internet and other technological gadgets have also fueled the notion of polarized politics. Millennials have been using social media platforms to support political parties and are paving a major threat to democracy. As pernicious polarization is increasing in democratic societies and has also led to the eroding behavioral norms of the society. It will be not wrong to say that democracy gives everyone a chance to free will and freedom of speech but millennials are posing an exceptional threat to democracy through the dominance of polarization over their lives. Considering the example of Pakistan where the millennial generation is bearing the brunt of economic uncertainty and political instability with polarized views. In all such scenario, democracy cannot flourish and is constantly under threat from millennials who considers themselves as the least privileged generation in terms of socio-political and economic incentives.
Way Forward
The driving mistrust of millennials over democracy can be settled down by letting their voices be heard. As rising unemployment rate of millennials alongside the income inequality in comparison with other generations simply discourages them to see any positive side of democracy. Millennials consider democratic governments as ineffective and incompetent in terms of addressing their grievances. This trend has recently gained momentum in the wake of Covid19 which gave rise to millennial culture elsewhere in the world and allowed them to see alternate government options including authoritarian as more attractive in comparison with democracy.
In an age of digital revolution, it has become an hour needed to revive the perception of democracy by enhancing the capacity of democratic institutions. As democratic institutions and political leaders should work up to the expectations of millennials by devising long-term development opportunities alongside addressing the socio-economic grievances faced by them. Democratic governments all over the world have been witnessing the ways the internet has been transforming the political engagement of millennials. In that scenario, it is essential to bring inclusivity in society by bridging the gap between parliamentarians and Generation Y through interactive e-government initiatives in all areas. As enhanced democratic institutional capacities can reconcile the views of millennials. As millennials are the future of the globalized world, therefore, for sustaining democracy it is pertinent to gain the confidence of mille.
