Politics Have Failed Us

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.

Contents
Introduction...................................................................................................... 4
Methodology...................................................................................................... 4
Quantitative Results ......................................................................................... 5
Demographic Analysis.................................................................................... 5
Political Knowledge......................................................................................... 5
Political Activity .............................................................................................. 6
Attitude Toward Politics ................................................................................. 9
Qualitative Results.......................................................................................... 10
Analysis .......................................................................................................... 12
Quantitative Results..................................................................................... 12
Qualitative Results....................................................................................... 12
Conclusion...................................................................................................... 13
References....................................................................................................... 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 1
Respondents Who Voted in the 2012/2014 Election
Year Yes No Not eligible
2012 15 (31.3%) 14 (29%) 19 (39.6%)
2012 (of eligible) 15 (51.7%) 14 (48.3%) N/A
2014 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 2
Respondents Planning to Vote in the 2015/2016 Elections
Answer Selected 2015 2016
Definitely yes 16 (33.3%) 30 (62.5%)
Probably yes 14 (29.1%) 9 (18.8%)
I didn’t know there were
primary elections (2015) Unsure (2016)
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://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
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church-democrats.html.csp
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politicalviewslibertariansocialist.html
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http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865632543/Report-Utah-millennials-
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Survey | Diverse, disillusioned, and divided: Millennial values and voter
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analysis/voter-turnout/

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