Youth political participation in the EU: evidence from a cross-national analysis

Year of production: 2019

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The paper is an empirical analysis of what determines political participation among young people using the Eurobarometer 375 survey data from 28 European Union countries. It is argued that while socio-demographic factors are crucial for youth political participation, context matters in shaping levels of political participation among young people.

The results show that youth engagement in different modes of political participation varies significantly across distinctive democracies, where individuals situated in established EU democracies are more likely to be politically active. The findings raise fresh concerns about existing levels of young people’s engagement in politics in advanced and new democracies.

This paper also contributes to the comparative research on young people’s participation in politics. (official abstract)