Civic and Political Engagement

Abstract

In this article, we discuss major themes and research findings on youth civic and political engagement in the United States and internationally. Adolescents' engagement in society takes a diverse array of forms and is intertwined with their understanding of their nation's social contract with its citizens, their interactions with key mediating institutions such as schools and community-based organizations, their consolidation of collective and personal identities, and their increased cognitive capacity to take others' perspectives and understand the concepts of rights and justice. Generational evidence suggests that youth are important forces for political stability as well as political change. Recent cohorts in the developed world are delaying conventional political participation until the third decade of life, yet also creatively inventing new forms of engagement. Three key factors that facilitate adolescents' civic and political engagement are resources, recruitment, and personal motivation. Discrimination and social exclusion experienced in everyday life inform the beliefs of subgroups of youth concerning whether the social contract between the state and citizens applies equally to all groups. Consequently, levels and forms of political engagement often vary for different subgroups. As youth will eventually replace their elders as society's leaders, their civic and political engagement is not only critical for their own well-being but also for the health of democracy.