What roles do knowledge and civilisation play when it comes to protecting democracy?
The growth of income disparities, the differentiation of learning outcomes and residential areas, and the increase of populist influence also challenge Finnish democracy. While the U.S. presidential election is over, the political situation is an example of what polarisation among the people can lead to. Therefore, we must maintain a strong appreciation of the welfare state and civilisation.
The U.S. presidential election sparked global interest as the United States is considered the best-known democracy in the world. Democracy means the power of the people; in which case the people have the right to exercise political power and the right to influence common affairs. But does the mere right to vote guarantee the realisation of democracy? Is it possible to talk about the realisation of true democracy if people do not share a unified view of the facts? In addition to the United States, this issue is relevant in other parts of the world, including Europe. What roles do knowledge, skills, and civilisation play in preserving democracy?
Democracy skills are critical to voting
The positive development in the United States seems to be that interest in voting has grown: preliminary figures show that turnout has been the highest since 1900. 66.4% of eligible voters cast their ballots in the 2020 elections, compared with 60.1% in 2016 (BBC, 2020). However, this alone does not tell us about the realisation of democracy. Political literacy affects how a citizen knows how to choose the best option for him or herself when voting.
More than 40 percent of U.S. households live in protracted economic hardship that affects their quality of life (United for Alice, 2020). In the United States, for example, ethnic background has a link to both educational attainment and wealth (Noël, 2018). Questioning the rights of ethnic minorities was strongly present during Trump’s term. Ethnic minorities made up a large number of eligible voters: in 2016, one-third of eligible voters in the U.S. presidential election belonged to an ethnic minority, and in the 2020 election, as many as 34% of eligible voters belonged to ethnic minorities (Pew Research Center, 2020; New York Times, 2020). During his term Trump appeared in the media violating minority rights when talking about building a wall on the Mexican border and denying Muslims access to the country. Despite this, Trump increased his support by 10% compared to 2016 and by 14% among Hispanics (Hammer, 2020; al-Gharbi, 2020.) One reason behind this could be the bubbles created by social media. Algorithms determine what kind of news or fake news we see. Recognising this also requires knowledge and skills from adults. (Binder, 2020 ; Gould, 2019).
There can be seen links between educational attainment and voting behavior in both the 2016 presidential election, the 2018 midterm elections, and the 2020 presidential election. Traditionally, the white population in the United States has voted for Republicans, but the educated white population in the 2016 election turned out to vote for the Democrats. Non-university white voters used to belong strongly to the Democrats and white educated voters to the Republicans. From the 2018 election exit poll, it can be seen that the most typically Republican voters are white men over the age of 45 with a high school-level education. It is estimated that voting behaviour in the 2020 elections would be more evenly distributed by educational level. Preliminary statistics suggest that 55% of college-graduate voters voted for the Democrat Biden. (CNN, 2018; Harris, 2018; al-Gharbi, 2020; New York Times, 2020.)
Education and skills would be the best tools to question the political system, combat populism, and identify false news. The problem, however, is the lack of a comprehensive education system, as in the United States, schools produce different learning outcomes from primary school onwards. In fact, in the United States, the segregation of citizens in terms of their knowledge base starts as early as early childhood education, as it is common for well-off parents to send their children to good day-care centres where they will learn the skills they will need in the future. However, few families can afford this. In many U.S. states, annual daycare fees are more expensive than university tuition fees. For lower-income groups, daycare is unattainably expensive, so the seed of inequality has been sown even before the child turns four years old. (Vilén, 2017.)
Poor critical thinking skills and the inability to see behind aggressive rhetoric can be part of the reason why citizens vote for an option in an election that does not pursue the goals of their own prosperity. Weaker basic skills are partly due to poor education and lower socioeconomic status. This leads to a vicious circle: without education, it is challenging to try to rise from a weak socio-economic status.
How we cherish European civilised nations?
There are many things Finland does well compared to the United States. We have an extensive education system that is almost free, from early childhood to higher education. In addition to accessibility, our system is of a high quality on many indicators. (InfoFinland.fi, 2020). Our education system is designed on the values of civilisation and democracy. Therefore, in Finland, the aim is to raise citizens to be independent and critical thinkers who participate in tackling current challenges. Finnish education aims to increase understanding of what is valuable in culture and what values need to be passed on to future generations. (Kokko, 2018; Miettinen, 2016; Snellman, 1842)
We must maintain a strong appreciation of the welfare state and civilisation. The growth of income disparities, the differentiation of learning outcomes and residential areas, and the increase of populist influence also challenge Finnish democracy – and perhaps European democracies in general. The situation in the United States provides an example to the rest of the world of what societies should invest in to remain genuinely democratic. In the case of the United States, the problem may be a lack of a common understanding. That common understanding of social problems cannot be created if ideologies, facts, and the way we discuss things are completely different from each other. That is why Finland and the whole of Europe need to invest in education at all levels and combat the invisibility created by disadvantage, which also leads to the erosion of democracy. A stronger emphasis on democracy education, media literacy, and political rhetoric teaching for minors and adults would be a good start.
References
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Gould, W.R. (2019). Are you in a social media bubble? Here's how to tell.
Hammer, J. (2020). Despite ‘racist’ charges, Trump did better with minorities than any GOP candidate in 60 years.
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Pew Research Center. (2020 b). In past elections, U.S. trailed most developed countries in voter turnout.
Pew Research Center. (2020). The Changing Racial and Ethnic Composition of the U.S. Electorate.
Snellman, J. V. (1842). Valtio-oppi (Läran om staten). Kootut teokset: Osa 5.
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Vilén, P. (2017). Suomalainen äiti valittaa siitä, mistä yhdysvaltalainen vain unelmoi – Suomi on lastenhoidon paratiisi USA:han verrattuna.
