Can high school competitive debating facilitate political participation? The role of political knowledge and identification with a politically active group

Abstract

Although young people express dissatisfaction with their lives and politics, research indicates a decline in youth political participation. Therefore, it is important to investigate activities that could incentivize youth to be more engaged in politics. Available studies suggest that debating in high-school debate clubs could lead to a greater intention to participate in politics. This study investigates the relationship between debating and political participation, and further explores political knowledge and identification with a group of debaters as potential mechanisms underlying this relationship. A total of 175 members of high school debate clubs from Croatia participated in the study. Results showed a positive association between the longevity of membership in a high school debate club and the intention to participate in politics. This relationship was completely mediated by greater political knowledge and identification with the group of debaters, meaning a group of politically active young people. In practice, these findings suggest young people, especially ones that have less political knowledge and are not inclined to participate in politics, should be incentivized to join debate clubs or similar activities.