Why are politically active young people not involved in political parties?

Disincentives to party political participation among Hungarian university students

Abstract

This article attempts to explore and conceptualize the disincentives for party-political participation based on a focus group study conducted among politically active university students. The topic is of particular relevance in Hungary, where, in contrast to Western European democracies, the decline in and ageing of party membership are not accompanied by the advance and strengthening of civil society organizations and social movements, nor by the marginalization of political parties in the political system. The results suggest that not only the lack of party-political mobilization but also the act of recruitment itself can be an important disincentive for party membership; however, social and political disincentives, partly rooted in the historical past and partly the result of the current social and political circumstances, play a more relevant role in the decision of the politically active Hungarian students to stay away from parties. In addition, the study also shows that the negative perception of fellow party members contributes to young people’s absenteeism.