Jordan continues to pursue economic growth and modernization, with efforts to attract investment and create new opportunities, alongside these ambitions, political development deserves similar attention, particularly the participation of younger generations, while much of the discussion focuses on encouraging young people to join political parties, perhaps we should begin with a more fundamental question, do they understand what political parties represent and how their own beliefs relate to them?

 

Most people have opinions about how society should function, what governments should prioritize and what makes a policy fair or effective, these opinions often reflect deeper political beliefs, even when we do not recognize them as such, political parties, in their simplest form, bring together people who share certain principles and a vision for society, from a behavioural angle, people tend to identify with groups that reflect their values and offer a sense of belonging, which helps explain why political affiliation begins with shared beliefs rather than a membership application.

 

Yet the connection between personal beliefs and political affiliation is not always obvious, a young person may care deeply about issues affecting their future without knowing how those concerns relate to different political philosophies or party programmes, this creates what we might call a relatability gap, where people struggle to recognize their own convictions in the political options available to them, addressing this gap requires making political ideas more accessible and showing how they relate to the decisions that shape everyday life.

 

Universities could play an important role by hosting discussions where students explore different political approaches to public issues and understand why people can reach different conclusions about the same challenges, similar awareness sessions in communities across Jordan could explain how parties are formed and how their principles influence their positions, bringing young people together with representatives of different parties could also encourage open dialogue, allowing both sides to better understand one another, such activities would make political education a practical experience rather than an exercise in memorizing definitions.

 

Education is equally relevant to those establishing and leading political parties, developing a political identity requires an understanding of political philosophies and the ability to translate principles into clear programmes, workshops and educational programmes could help party members develop these skills and communicate their ideas in language that citizens can readily understand, the aim is not to make every party appealing to everyone, but to make its beliefs and priorities sufficiently clear for people to recognize whether they share them.

 

From a behavioural perspective, education acts as an enabler of behavioural change, giving people the knowledge and confidence to make decisions that reflect their convictions, it does not guarantee that someone will join a political party, nor should that be its sole purpose, but it can help make political participation a more informed and meaningful choice, as Jordan advances economically, strengthening political awareness can contribute to a political culture in which citizens engage with ideas before deciding how they wish to participate.

 

Zaid K.Maaytah – Researcher in Economics and Behvaioural Policy