Afrobarometer, a pan-African, non-partisan survey research network present in up to 42 countries has revealed a disturbing trend of apathy particularly in civic and political exercises among young people within the 18-35 age bracket in Africa. According to a report published by the network covering 39 countries, African youth are less likely than older generations to engage in a variety of political and civic activities, with one exception – protest. As the least common form of engagement, protesting only accounted for 9% of activities recorded in the survey with nearly one in 10 respondents stating they had participated in a demonstration during the previous year. In Ghana, 2,400 respondents were asked whether they had taken part in a protest, 6% within the 18-35 age bracket said they have against 4% of adults 36 years and above. The situation however was reversed on the subject of voting where 92% of persons aged 32 years and above at the time of the interview in April 2022 said they voted in the last election against 76% who formed the 18-35 category.

Globally, the youth trail their elders in the area of voting leading to a generational disparity of 18 percentage points the largest by far. Afrobarometer noted, “these generational gaps underscore the challenges of political participation on the world’s most youthful continent if governments fail to create channels for meaningful engagements.”

The Afrobarometer Round 9 surveys were conducted over the period of 2021/2023. A total of 53,444 face-to-face interviews were conducted in 39 countries across Africa. Read the report below: