Representative Disconnect Among Vulnerable Brussels Youth

In the last decades, traditional politics and representative democracy has experienced a decline in popularity, particularly among the younger generations, beginning with the millennial cohort. This trend is evident across Europe and Western countries, characterized by reduced traditional political knowledge and participation, and a lower voter turnout in each successive generation (Dalton, 2007; Quintelier, 2007; Tiberj, 2018). Despite extensive research on the phenomenon of political disconnection among young people, there remains a need to explore concrete solutions to address this political alienation. This need is even more pronounced for vulnerable youth in an urban context, particularly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 period. The negative perceptions harbored by young people toward politics have been further intensified by measures taken to counter the pandemic. This fostered enduring effects continuing to fuel political disengagement among urban youth (Bottasso et al., 2022). This cannot be disregarded in the context of Brussels, a city with a significant level of socio-spatial polarization with a high concentration of impoverished neighbourhoods juxtaposed against very wealthy communes (Kesteloot & Loopmans, 2009). Moreover, young people in vulnerable situations are experiencing not only a disregard for conventional political activities but also for non-conventional initiatives. This starkly contrasts with their higher social class peers (Schlozman et al., 2005). Nevertheless, the vulnerable neigbhourhoods also count a significant group of people who display a form of political resilience. The pandemic period was – for some – also an opportunity to engage into social activities, develop initiatives for vulnerable youth, and some have even assumed roles as social workers in local youth organizations (Mandjombe et al., 2022). This offers a clear chance to grasp the dynamics of political disinterest and engagement in these specific urban areas. This is where this paper comes in. It draws from 6 focus groups with 6 to 10 vulnerable young people who grew up in Brussels, and analyzes how institutions and policymakers can reconnect youth back to politics and the ballot box. During the focus groups, the sentiments and opinions of the participants about representation, democracy and politics will be explored and interpreted. These perspectives of people most affected by political decisions, and most disinterested in politics, provide a unique opportunity to trace the origins of the representative disconnect. By understanding their views and addressing the root causes of disenchantment, we can propose substantiated solutions. Accordingly, the findings of this exploratory study will be used to identify relevant strategies for rectification of the representative disconnect and democratic futures.