Motives of Youth Involved in Youth Organizations of Political Parties (2020 Parliamentary Elections

Abstract

Youth is an important segment of any country, the proper involvement of which in various directions significantly determines the country's level of development. Georgia is one of the countries that has had to face many challenges since regaining its independence, especially the important political processes in the country. Against this background, the youth is an important segment. In Georgia, they often appear at the epicenter of the development of important, turning political processes for the country. Young people's activity and important role in the development process of society and the country determine one of the main values ​​of the present study. The history of independent Georgia shows the diversity of political parties. In Georgia, against the background of the transition period, the party culture changes from election to election, and political parties are formed, disbanded, or merged. The most obvious manifestations of youth interest in political topics are in the ranks of political parties, particularly youth organizations. In party structures, mainly youth activism is particularly noticeable during election periods. Youth organizations are often one of political entities' leading public relations mechanisms. In Georgia, due to the diversity of political parties, the motives of young people involved in party youth organizations are also different. One of the main goals of the present study was to identify the motives of young people actively involved in political parties during the 2020 parliamentary elections in Georgia. People do a particular job with a different motives. In the interviews with the selected respondents, the main motives for the involvement of young people in the youth organizations of political parties were revealed. Various motives marked Georgia's 2020 parliamentary elections for young people involved in political parties' youth organizations. The study used a qualitative research method, in-depth interviews with members, leaders, industry experts, and politicians of targeted political parties' youth organizations for 17 interviews. The analysis of the interviews showed that some young people are interested in partisan activism due to the desire for change in the country. Some are attracted by ideological closeness to a particular party, while others are motivated by pragmatic motives and think more about personal benefits. According to the research results, the main motivator of young people when engaging in youth organizations of political parties is the desire for changes in the ongoing processes in the country. In the interviews, the young people talked about various challenges of the country, such as the foreign exchange rate, injustice, and economic situation. Against this background, young people try to participate in change through their party activism. Another aim of the research was to connect young people's motives and the election results of political parties. Based on quantitative content analysis, during the 2020 elections, there is a weak correlation between the motives of young people involved in party youth organizations, as well as their number and the results of specific parties in the same elections, which indicates that If it is less an indicator of the electoral success of those political entities. As a result, in the ranks of political parties, there is less role for young people and opportunities for development, which, naturally, is reflected in the motives for youth involvement in parties. In parallel, we analyzed the role of young people in the ranks of political parties, in particular, the number of young people in the proportional and majoritarian lists of 9 political entities during the 2020 election period, as well as the involvement of political parties in youth organizations in the biographies of 10th parliamentarians. The political activity of young people varies from country to country. The level of development of the country, political culture, and high public awareness significantly determine the political activity of this or that person. Georgia is a developing country. In striving for development, society faces many challenges and seeks ways to overcome them, a process that is quite time-consuming. In Western developed countries, unlike Georgia, the role of young people in political processes is relatively significant. In interviews with us, as experts and politicians point out, they can realize themselves in politics from a young age, including in the youth organizations of political parties. In the US, for example, the Democrats have a youth wing as a separate party within the party. Against this background, in stark contrast to Georgia, the US is much more politically young. Unlike in Georgia, the level of independence of US youth organizations is high. Our research has shown that some European political parties have structures where young people can work on certain issues. For example, representatives of youth organizations in Germany participate in the election program, formulating ideas independently, which gives them a sense that they can influence fundamental party decisions. Another difference between Western youth organizations and Georgia is that politics is more professionalized. Those who study politics professionally have a better chance of being a politically active figures. In Georgia, society is more focused on charismatic celebrities who have had no professional contact with politics, such as athletes, musicians, actors, or others. This research is interesting for the scientific community because there is a scarcity of scientific research on the youth organizations of political parties in Georgia, the young people involved, and their motives. The present study responds to the youth motivations and experiences that influence youth involvement in politics and membership in political organizations. Therefore, another merit of the research is that the presented results will help the scientific circles to study the issue even more in-depth.