The purpose of this platform
is to foster dialogue with
fellow political communication professionals and to share key findings with youth who are interested in civic and political engagement.
The crisis facing democracy is a global phenomenon.
According to the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) report, for the first time in more than two decades, there are more closed autocracies than liberal democracies in the world, and 72% of the global population lives under an autocracy (Varieties of Democracy, 2023). Some authors describe this as a process of democratic erosion that has occurred over the last three decades of the 20th century, involving a deterioration of the attributes of democratic political regimes, even in countries that do not have a fully democratic system but retain certain democratic characteristics (Del Tronco & Monsiváis-Carrillo, 2020).
Moreover, the annual study by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance indicated that 2022 marked the sixth consecutive year in which countries recorded more setbacks than improvements in their democratic processes. Although some progress has been made in political participation, there are still more countries where participation is declining than countries where it is increasing (Executive Summary – The Global State of Democracy, 2023).
Young people represent an important force for national development; they are agents of change who identify current problems and give meaning to the future. Therefore, it is essential to analyze youth indifference or rejection of politics and the role of digital media in shaping political participation.
Globally, young people aged 18 to 25 are the population group that participates least in elections, and in some countries, those aged 15 to 29 are not allowed to vote due to their age (The Body Shop, 2022), which prevents them from feeling included in public decision-making. This is important because their participation in political life is fundamental for the future of democracy, to counter phenomena of autocratization and democratic erosion.
This research is conducted in the territories of Mexico and France, both with democratic governments. However, according to the Varieties of Democracy 2023 report, Mexico is classified as a country leaning toward autocratization, with multiparty elections for the executive and fundamental conditions such as freedom of expression and association and free and fair elections (Varieties of Democracy, 2023). In contrast, France is one of the countries closest to full democracy, where the requirements for electoral democracy are met: judicial and legislative restrictions on the executive, protection of civil liberties, and equality before the law (Varieties of Democracy, 2023).