Envision this: it’s Election Tuesday, students are buzzing around the quad, anxious to share the newest political updates. Two months later? Radio silence — students have completely put the excitement of the political cycle behind them, no longer interested in the newest presidential update or congressional bill. Students should remain educated on politics throughout the political cycle, rather than paying attention only during significant events like elections or breaking world news.
Only 38% of Americans regularly pay attention to the news year-round, according to CBS News. While 58% of Americans said they followed the news very or fairly closely during the 2024 presidential election, according to Pew Research Center. When Americans only keep track of the news during special events, rather than consistently, it is harder to understand political changes in the future. The time spent reading news sources does not have to take up a significant part of daily life; an easy way to stay informed on politics is to read news articles from reputable sources weekly to stay up to date with current world affairs, according to Model United Nations (MUN) club co-president and senior Alex Lingerfelt.
“Typically, research climbs during election years, which is great,” Lingerfelt said. “It’s good that people are trying to be informed, but ideally, we would see more consistent research, maybe to a lesser degree, just year-round about other areas of the globe.”
Although many high school students are not eligible to vote, policymaking can be important to schools and other environments that students are part of, like parks and digital spaces. Local policies are constantly being affected by regional, state and national decisions, and high school students should be cognizant of these changes.
“Even before these students can vote, they can engage in discussion,” MUN Director General and junior Krishiv Sonthalia said. “I think it’s important for them to advocate for their issues too, because they can also make a change in society. So I think it’s super important not just for students to have a good understanding of politics, but also understanding what’s happening at the government’s level and what’s happening in our nation today.”
Young adults who are more educated on politics and their political impact are more likely to vote, according to Young Citizens. Moreover, staying informed politically doesn’t mean only keeping up with domestic policies. Being knowledgeable about world politics also increases political participation when individuals can better understand the impact of their countries and leadership on a global level, according to Cambridge University Press.
“Recently, there’s been headlines that there’ve been elections in Portugal and Japan,” Lingerfelt said. “Both of them are interesting and you can just read a real brief article about the implications, and then maybe in future East Asian elections or European elections, that can act as good context because you’ve already read an article about recent elections and you sort of have the background information in the context for future elections in those regions.”
In the United States, political illiteracy remains a widespread issue — over 70% of voters fail basic civil literacy quizzes on the functions of democracy, according to the Annenberg Public Policy Center. Approaching local libraries, community centers or other public initiatives can provide individuals with easy-to-access resources on current events. While it can be overwhelming to remain an expert on fast-moving governmental affairs, following small events and remaining conscientious is better than not following politics at all outside of the election year.
“We live in an ever more diverse society, and it certainly doesn’t hurt to learn about different cultures, or maybe what certain cultures are experiencing in other parts of the world,” Lingerfelt said.
However, it is unrealistic to expect every citizen to keep up with fast political turnarounds and the expansive contexts of why each politician makes certain decisions. However, a gradual civic understanding can be built if civic education is prioritized starting at a young age and if adults can find ways to stay informed, even through acts as small as tuning in to a news station on television or downloading global updates on their phones.
