Predicting youth apathy and exclusion: Macedonian high-school students and their relations to their communities

Abstract

In order to understand the youth?s growing apathy and cynicism towards society, this paper examines the relationships between civic engagement, volunteerism, parental support, peer support, the support of the educational system, extra-curricular activities, religious affiliation, as well as attitudes among high-school students in the Republic of Macedonia. A representative sample of 3607 high-school students in thirteen towns across the country indicates that the support from the educational system, involvement in extra-curricular activities and trust in institutions, society and oneself are the strongest predictors of civic engagement and volunteerism. Parental support (whether respondents engaged in discussions about civic problems with their parents), while important in the past, loses its significance in the present. Discussions with peers seem to replace the role of the parents. Religious affiliation is not meaningfully related to civic engagement and volunteerism. Theoretical and practical implications in regard to social integration are discussed.