The Informed Citizen – of Tomorrow

Abstract

This panel focuses on the challenge facing contemporary democracies in maintaining and fostering an informed, attentive, and participating citizenry. We will emphasize aspects of the theme that help us understand young people’s prospects as citizens of tomorrow – since, ultimately, it is their choices that will determine if and how the challenge is to be met. We do know that, compared to the rest of the population, the generation that grew up with the Internet is less attentive to politics and participates in it less. And neither standard life-cycle developments, nor the adoption of “unconventional” forms of participation explain this. Panelists will draw upon the most recent comparative and longitudinal data on civic literacy, i.e. political knowledge and attentiveness, as well as political participation. Special attention will be paid to the role of gender, as well as other relevant contextual factors. Papers will also address what we have learned from the experience in different countries seeking to address the situation – in particular voting at 16 as well as various innovations in civic and citizenship education.

Title	Details
Intercultural Competence Among Students in Norwegian Schools	View Paper Details
Voting at 16 and Discussing Politics in School - A Transformative Experience? Lessons from the Scottish Independence Referendum	View Paper Details
Preparing Young People for Citizenship. Modeling the Interrelations of Home Environment, School Environment and Political Knowledge	View Paper Details
The Effect of Political Knowledge on the Propensity to Vote. The Case of Compulsory Voting in Belgium	View Paper Details