As political activism has evolved during the past 40 years, students and young people have become less involved a recent survey states, and some local politicians agree.

A recent survey by Mother Jones, an investigative nonprofit magazine, showed 85 percent of respondents thought students are less politically active today compared to the 1960s. Almost half of the college-student respondents said the activism has become digital.

State Rep. Mike Bost, R-Carbondale, has been in office since 1995. He said the biggest difference he has seen involving student activism between the 1960s and today deals with war protests.

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“This war is as bad as any war has been. This war has not caused the uproar that Vietnam did,” Bost said. “Some of (the Vietnam activists) made it better, some made it worse, but at least they got involved.”

Bost said today’s youth stays informed and voices opinions but implements a milder form of action. Bost said the Internet has presented both benefits and disadvantages for college students today, but the most important thing to know is what information is credible and what is not.

“(The Internet) is a tool for expressing ideas. The bad thing is that there are no checks and balances on a lot of the statements made by bloggers,” Bost said.

City councilman Steven Haynes said the reason college students might not be as active is because they are busy with school, work and extra-curricular activities. They might not have an interest in a particular candidate or event. He said this election should be different.

“The reason that this election cycle is important to all citizens varies depending on one’s personal beliefs and passion, besides the obvious historic measures of the presidential campaign,” Haynes said in an e-mail.

Carbondale Mayor Brad Cole knows first-hand about being politically involved as a student. He was Undergraduate Student Government president in 1992-93 before obtaining his bachelor’s degree in 1994. Cole said it is much easier for today’s college students to get involved with politics because of new technology. He said when he attended SIUC, students were involved but they did not have the convenience of today’s communication outlets.

“There just wasn’t the ease of being able to send an e-mail to a thousand people at one time and so organizing was much more difficult. More word of mouth, more one on one, but people were active,” Cole said.

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Cole said regardless of the time and place, students will get active when the issues mean enough to them.

“When there are things that affect people, they get energized. When there’s not, they are more complacent. Whether that was 15 years ago, today or 50 years ago, the issues are really what drive the level of activism,” Cole said.

Elbert Penn, who graduated SIUC in 1982 with a major in English theater, has lived in southern Illinois for most of his life. Penn said he is able to view current student activity through his job at the Recreation Center. Like Cole, Penn said students are more likely to get involved in politics when the issues directly affect them, particularly when it comes to finances and job security.

“(Important issues include) funding for college. The scariest part now is after the workforce period is done, what comes after? People now feel like they’ll be working all their lives to obtain the so-called ‘American dream,'” Penn said.

Dennis Carril, a 29-year-old graduate student and teaching assistant in the forestry department, said the biggest difference he has seen in student activism came with the events of Sept. 11.

“It made people pay attention to the news more,” Carril said. “There was a period where people really paid attention and cared, but emotions played a big factor.”

Carril said student activism has been less prevalent since the tragedy. He attributed the decline to the laziness of this generation.

“As time goes on, the youth get more and more disinterested (in politics),” Carril said.

State Sen. Gary Forby, D-Benton, said he has seen student activism on the rise in the past few years, especially in the presidential race. Forby said it is important for college students to get involved because their future depends on it.

“There’s probably more college kids out there than anybody, and that’s what we need,” Forby said. “College kids need to get out because what legislators do, they have to live with the rest of their lives.”

Justin Lange can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 258 or [email protected].