Youth and political alienation in post-communist countries

After the proclamation of independence or overthrow of communist-led regimes in many post-communist countries much hope was placed on the new generation. „Cultural theories” assumed that youth whose basic political socialization took place in an already free, democratic country will be less politically alienated and more politically competent than the oldest generations. This study tests this assumption, building on the ISSP 1996 and 2006 “The role of government” data. The analysis is performed using an original cohort analysis technique based on non-parametric local linear regression.

Results show that different age groups do not differ with respect to most dimensions of political alienation: confidence in political authorities and their responsiveness, as well as the sense of personal political efficacy. Moreover, contrary to what was expected, the perceived political competence of the cohort born after 1960 is very low – it is at a similar level as that of the cohort born before 1940. With the exception of Czech Republic, there is no young, more politically competent generation in sight.

This conclusion can be interpreted in several ways. First, the so-called “transitional generation” born in the last decades of the communist regime, was raised and educated under the Communist rule, and they were adolescents or young adults, with their political competence still in the process of formation, when the system collapsed. Even though this generation did experience the popular opposition and the fall of the Communist regime during their most impressionable years, their political socialisation took place under difficult economic conditions, during time characterised by dramatic social and political change. An other seemingly plausible explanation is that our data simply reveal that in post-communist countries, same as in Western democracies, a new generation of “Dot-Nets” or Generation X has developed. Due to various reasons, it shows little interest in conventional politics.