Girls and Online Civic Engagement: Why Are They Less Likely to Engage in Political Discussion and Argumentation?

Abstract

The text summarizes the results of the second wave of research conducted in Poland as part of the ySKILLS project (Horizon 2020), which explored young people’s digital skills and online civic engagement from six European countries. The study aimed to answer research questions about gender differences in digital skills and the forms of civic engagement in which young people participate through digital means. Data were collected through a Quantitative Longitudinal Data Collection method (survey), and the sample consisted of 1,340 Polish students aged 12–17 from twelve primary and secondary schools. The results showed that boys reported higher levels of involvement in online civic engagement than girls, especially in two areas: 1) discussing or commenting onsocial or partial political issues online and 2) joining or following a political group on social networks. Regarding digital skills, students reported higher levels of proficiency incommunication and interaction skills and lower levels in programming skills. Regarding girls’ digital skills, statistically significant differences were noticed in four areas. Boysdeclared having higher digital skills in technological and operational skills, programming skills, and information navigation and processing skills. It is recommended that schools and policymakers implement measures aimed at reducing gender disparities, for instance, by providing girls with increased chances to acquire programming skills or by highlighting to girls the advantages of engaging in online civic activities.