How do young citizens engage with politicians and their political environment in contexts where elections are frequently affected by violence? We explore this question through focus group discussions (FGDs) in Nigeria, a country with high rates of election violence. We argue that young voters in violent electoral environments operate with ‘constrained optimism’, where they perceive low government responsiveness but possess high levels of self-efficacy. Participants condemned violence and expressed little faith in political institutions and leaders to curtail violence, but they also felt a determination to elect a better government and a strong sense of a civic duty to vote, participate in politics, and encourage others to do so as well. Many participants also shared that they would continue to support their preferred candidate if they were accused of violence. Some participants raised concerns about the veracity of such allegations while others explained that politicians sometimes use violence for defensive purposes. Still others stated that they would continue to support candidates who expressed remorse for engaging in violence and committed to peaceful campaigning in the future. Taken together, we argue that young voters in violent contexts operate with ‘constrained optimism’ where they remain committed to democracy, but face constraints on who they support and how they participate. Our findings nuance expectations of the effects of electoral violence on political participation and better help us understand the challenges facing voters in contexts where violence is rife.

中文翻译：

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尼日利亚青年参与暴力选举环境：政治冷漠还是“乐观有限”？


在选举经常受到暴力影响的情况下，年轻公民如何与政客及其政治环境互动？我们通过尼日利亚这个选举暴力发生率很高的国家的焦点小组讨论（FGD）来探讨这个问题。我们认为，暴力选举环境中的年轻选民表现出“有限的乐观态度”，他们认为政府的响应能力较低，但自我效能感较高。参与者谴责暴力，并对政治机构和领导人减少暴力表示不信任，但他们也感受到了选举更好政府的决心，以及投票、参与政治的强烈公民义务，并鼓励其他人也这样做。许多参与者还表示，如果他们被指控暴力，他们将继续支持他们喜欢的候选人。一些与会者对此类指控的真实性表示担忧，而另一些与会者则解释说，政客有时会出于防御目的使用暴力。还有一些人表示，他们将继续支持那些对暴力行为表示悔恨并致力于未来和平竞选的候选人。综上所述，我们认为，暴力环境中的年轻选民表现出“有限的乐观态度”，他们仍然致力于民主，但在支持谁以及如何参与方面面临限制。我们的研究结果细致入微地预测了选举暴力对政治参与的影响，并更好地帮助我们了解选民在暴力盛行的情况下面临的挑战。