International Conference On Youth Policy and Research

International Conference
on Youth Policy and Research

From Theory to Practice –
Evidence Based Youth Policy
(22) 23 – 25 September 2009
BMWFJ Austria, Vienna
Social and Political Participation of Young People –

Theoretical Assumtions and some Empirical Results for different
European Contexts
Wolfgang Gaiser
German Youth Institute, Munich, Germany
www.dji.de
Seite 1 Zurück zur ersten Seite
Outline
I. YOUTH and PARTICIPATION
1) Social change
2) Challenges for the coming generations
3) Increasing importance of participation
4) Factors to improve participation
5) Need for multi-level governance
6) Benefits of more participation
7) Towards a culture of participation
II. Empirical Results for different
European Contexts
DJI-Youth Survey (www.dji.de/jugendsurvey)
EUYOUPART (www.dji.de/euyoupart)
Flash Eurobarometer. Young Europeans 2007

1.) SOCIAL CHANGE
Today, young people experience a rapid social

change which is characterized by questions about
economic and ecological globalization, freedom,
peace, human rights, diversity, inclusion, tolerance.
Institutions, the workplace and professional

demands are changing.
Biographies are becoming less structured.

World Youth Report 2 0 0 7:
Young People’s Transition to Adulthood: Progress and Challenges,
United Nations, New York, 18 December 2007
“Today’s young people are overall

the best educated generation of youth in history.
However, for many young people, the transition to adulthood is
slowed down by poverty and their inability to find decent work.”
“Contractions in labour markets associated with globalization often

affect youth first because they are often among the last to be hired
and the first to be fired.”

2.) This all poses challenges for
the coming generations:
a) qualifying for, and finding, a place in a more

flexible working environment,
b) accepting responsibility for ensuring one’s own
welfare, and
c) need for political participation in a society where,
decisions are increasingly made on the European and
global level.

3.) This leads to an increasing importance of a
new culture of participation on three levels:
a) within society as a whole
b) within institutions
c) on an individual level

3.a) Firstly, in society as a whole, the development of
political culture, powerful democracy and an active
civil society are becoming more important.
Due to the decrease of integration in the working

world the social fabric needs more civic engagement,
social networks and NGOs.

3.b) Secondly, institutions are undergoing change :
- They are being restructured, merged, cut back or

closed down.
- If they want to survive, they must open themselves
to the innovative strength of the coming generations.
- Thus institutions have to create participation
structures and make it possible to take part in their
formation.
- This is essential for their adaptation in a changing
world.

3.c) Thirdly, the individual faces new
biographical challenges.
- Transition from youth to adulthood has become more

difficult with respect to: educational qualifications,
professional competence, economic independence
and political participation.
- Gender roles are less traditional and must be
negotiated individually.
- In their biographical decisions, young people have
increasingly to rely on themselves, their qualification,
their flexibility and their social networks.
4.) Structural factors to improve participation:
Democratic culture in families
School education and participation in school are

important resources of political education of youths.
Informal groups and NGOs which offer the possibility

of becoming effectively involved with others to test the
goals, regulations and structures of institutions.

5.) Need of multi-level governance
Due to all the dimensions of globalization – questions of

poverty, education, human rights, tolerance, climate change –
the social, economic and ecological questions can not only be
solved individually.
So the players of the state and non-governmental

organizations have to face this challenge and have to provide
the framework for youth participation.
Such a concept of “multi-level governance” makes local

regional, national and trans-national policies possible and
results in greater participation by the various players.
6.) Benefits of more participation
-Young people can be motivated to participate when they

recognize that their involvement makes sense and is useful:
for civil, social, ecological and democratic developments,
for themselves, for others and for society in general.
- Rights and opportunities for participation, as well as

information, are essential.
- Those active in participation profit personally, make

important social experiences and form social networks which
offset their feelings of isolation and powerlessness.

7.) Consequences for a culture of participation
1. A culture of communication which enables a nonhierarchical

dialog, open exchange of ideas and a discussion of goals.
2. A strengthening of the structures for common action and a
broadening of networks.
3. Developing strategies for increasing the circle of young
people who can be informed and motivated to become
involved.
4. For those involved in participation activities: they can
discover new ideas, strengthen their possibilities for action,
gain recognition of their engagement, and have the
satisfaction in sharing experiences with one another and
have some political success.
The challenge for governments
Last but not least, political participation also requires

UN, EU and state support for
- structures,
- programs,
- measures and
- projects.
Investing in the culture of democracy and civil society,

and facing up to the criticism and demands
made by the coming generation to participate,
is a global challenge
and here the governments are called upon to do even more.

UNFPA:
United Nations Population Fund
The European Commission’s “Youth in Action” programme for
2007-2013 emphasised participation as the key target of development
in civil society and consolidation of participative democracy.
Thus the programme aims to promote
1.) “young people’s active citizenship in general and their
European citizenship in particular”
2.) it seeks to foster the active participation of young
people
- in their daily life,
- in their communities,
- in the system of representative democracy and
- in various forms of learning to participate
(European Commission, 2008: 4).
Outline part II: empirical results
1) Political Interest and Democracy

2) Membership in traditional Organisations
3) New Social Movements und NGOs
4) Temporary political Participacion
Sources: DJI-Youth Survey (www.dji.de/jugendsurvey)

EUYOUPART (www.dji.de/euyoupart)
DJI – Youth Survey 2003
population: 12-29 years old German youths and young adults
sample: random sample based on the registers of residents‘
registration offices
method: standardized face-to-face interviews
sample size: 9110
EUYOUPART 2004: Political Participation of Young People in Europe
population: 15-25 years old youths and young adults, countries:
Austria, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy,
Slowakia, UK
sample: random sample
method: standardized face-to-face interviews
sample size: 8000 (1000 in each country)

population: 15-30 year olds (27 EU Member States)
sample: random sample (size: 19 000)
Importance of politics, interest in politics and subjective political
competence (Germany) 1992, 1997 and 2003
(Percentages)*
West East
1992 1997 2003 1992 1997 2003
Politics as an area of life are 35 42 43 33 37 42

important
Strong interest in politics 21 25 22 22 17 19
I know a lot about politics 15 14 12 13 9 12
Politics are far too complicated 41 40 42 46 50 47
n
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ersten Seite 2,110
Politics = idealism and cynicism
(EUYOUPART)
Politics is seen as a way...

• to solve international problems 68%
• to solve social conflicts 67%
• and to create a better world 42%
But politics is also
• empty promises 46%
• does not deal with things important to oneself 37%
• “just corrupt” 35%
• a game played by old men 30%
The general idea of politics is good. Its realization

on the concrete level, however, causes disillusionment.
Attitudes towards democracy (Germany)
(Percentages)
West East
Approval of 1992 1997 2003 1992 1997 2003
Idea of democracy (2 "pro"-categ.) 90 84 84 81 71 72
Idea of democracy (3 "pro"-categ.) 98 96 96 96 94 94
Freedom to demonstrate 73 72 75 79 75 76
Freedom of opinion 74 76 84 75 80 84
Right to form an opposition 67 61 64 70 60 60
Willingness to compromise 49 52 61 53 57 62
n
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Zurück zur ersten Seite
Source: Euyoupart

To influence decisions in society:
How effective is it to...
1. Vote 62%
2. Work to get media attention 43%
3. Work in voluntary organizations (NGOs) 40%
4. Work in a political party 34%
5. Demonstrate 28%
6. Personally contact politicians 24%
7. Boycott certain products 19%
8. Participation in illegal protest 11%
→ Work in NGOs is considered more effective than

working in a political party.

3 Forms of participation
1.Traditional 2. Informal 3. Activities (temporary / situative)

clubs, groups (NGOs)
Contents/ associations,
Objectives organizations
(A) Parties Human rights, Voting, demonstrations (unconventional/

Politics peace conventional)
movement, etc.
(B) Labour unions, Women's/ Strikes organized by labour unions

Interests, professional men's groups,
group associations neighbourhood
targets initiatives
(C) Non- Sports clubs, Animal rights

political or social groups
private organizations
interests

Social and political participation 1992 and 2003 in west and east
(in %) 16-to-29-year old Germans
West O
1992 2003 1992
Conventional participation –willingness
Votingat elections 94 95 91
Donations moneyfor political purposes 32 25 28
Unconventional participation –willingness

Participationinlabour-unionstrikes 53 42 70
Participationinunauthorizeddemonstrations 27 21 37
Traditional clubsand associations

Activeinat least oneorganization 54 54 42
Lessorganized groups/ initiatives/ NGOs

Activeinat least onegroup 22 20 18
1. Membership in traditional clubs,
associations, organizations
● Differences between the old and the new German Länder

are considerable.
● The east-west divide becomes even more pronounced
when it comes to membership in two, three or several
organizations,
● with the figure for the old German Länder being
approximately twice as high as for the new German
Länder.

Share of young people (15- 30) who are members
in at least one organization in EU (%)
Germany 46
Austria 43
EU15 26
France 23
United Kingdom 21
Italy 13
…
Estonia 17
Slovakia 12
NMS12 10
Poland 9
Bulgaria 7
Source: Flash Eurobarometer. Young Europeans 2007

2. Informal groups and NGOs: assessments and
forms of participation
● The political groups referred to as 'New Social

Movements' (or NGOs) on the basis of their origin
focus on specific social, political and ecological
problems, frequently employing the means of public
protest.
● Due to their contents, objectives, activity

orientation and flexible forms of participation, these
groups are highly popular with young people.
Attitudes towards and activity in informal
groups (NGOs) (Germany)
Approve and Neither Dis-
participate Approve, approve approve
(also occasio- but do not nor
nally) disapprove
participate
Environmental groups 6 77 12 1
Peace initiatives 7 76 13 1
Anti-nuclear movements 1 35 36 17
Self-help groups 2 65 22 3
Women's/men's groups 2 35 40 7
Third-world initiatives 5 66 17 4
Human rights groups 3 74 15 2
Neighbourhood initiatives 7 47 26 2
Animal rights initiatives 7 74 13 1
Antiglobalization groups 1 18 29 16
active in at least one group 26
Participation in NGOs
Austria
Seite 30
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Zurück zur ersten Seite
3.) Political Participation - Willingness
and Activities (in percentage)
16 to 29 year old Germans
Willingness Have already done it
Conventional Participation
Voter participation 92 80
Letters to politicians 31 8
Donations for political purposes 23 7
Letters to newspapers 31 7
Unconventional Participation
Collection of signatures 80 60
Legal demonstrations 60 32
Trade Union’s strike 41 5
Non-legal demonstrations 21 7

Fr Ger EU15 NMS12
43 15 30 21
22 27 23 26
37 20 24 9
11 15
6 7
2 4
(EU 2007)

political consumerism
(boycott, buycott of products)
(Germany 2009: 25%!)
and modern forms of participation
boycotted products for political

reason
bought products for political

reason
worn a political badge
contributed to a political
discussion on the net
Source: Euyoupart 2004
Political
consumerism
Austria
Source: EUYOUPART
Factors that explain political participation:
● Gender:
- Girls and young women are more likely to participate in
groups belonging to the new social movement (NGOs).
- Boys and young men show a stronger interest with
respect to conventional politics. They engage more often
in traditional organisations and associations.
● Education: The higher the educational level the more
engagement (information, openness of the classroom
climate, insight, available resources, a question of
principles).
● Political interest promotes the most social and political
participation. Even a person with low level of education is
able to engage in social political activity by having such
an interest.
What would help young people
(15-30) to be more active as a citizen in society
young people would be consulted

before decisions on them is taken
more programmes encouraging

voluntary work would be available
educational programme about

citizenship would be introduced at
schools
voting age would be lower
Source: Flash Eurobarometer. Young Europeans 2007

Seite 36 0 10 20 30 40 50 60Zurück70 80
zur ersten Seite 90
Summarizing data about participation show:
- young people’s rejection of traditional politics,
- the stable acceptance of NGOs and
- the new forms of political articulation (Internet),
- definitions of new roles (from responsible citizen to critical
consumer).
One general problem must be pointed out: non-participation is
particularly common (and is tending to increase) among those
young people who are already at a disadvantage in terms of
their social and cultural capital.
At the meta-level of social development trends:
networking increasingly focused on individual persons, may
possibly become stronger while stable institutionalised contexts
become weaker. Seite 37 Zurück zur ersten Seite
Youth-theoretical and -political questions to be discussed:
- Will the youth phase change?
- Will the moratorium phase formerly observable disappear?
Is the governements approach to young people changing?:
- Education-related tasks are increasingly transferred to
early youth (and childhood).
- Mid-youth phase is subject to increasing regimentation,
compression and sanctions.
- The end of youth and successful embarking on an
employment biography is increasingly turning into a task
which young people have to master alone.
- What does this mean for young people?

- What are the challenges for Youth Policy and Practice?
Thank you for your attention !
Wolfgang Gaiser

Contact
DJI
German Youth Institute
Nockherstr. 2
D – 81503 Munich
Germany
International Homepage
www.dji.de/english
Dr. Wolfgang Gaiser

E-Mail: gaiser@dji.de
Tel.: +49 89 6 23 06 - 220
Fax: +49 89 6 23 06 - 162

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International Conference

on Youth Policy and Research

Social and Political Participation of Young People –

Seite 2 Zurück zur ersten Seite

Today, young people experience a rapid social

Institutions, the workplace and professional

Biographies are becoming less structured.

“Today’s young people are overall

“Contractions in labour markets associated with globalization often

Seite 4 Zurück zur ersten Seite

a) qualifying for, and finding, a place in a more

Seite 5 Zurück zur ersten Seite

a) within society as a whole

Seite 6 Zurück zur ersten Seite

Due to the decrease of integration in the working

Seite 7 Zurück zur ersten Seite

- They are being restructured, merged, cut back or

Seite 8 Zurück zur ersten Seite

- Transition from youth to adulthood has become more

Democratic culture in families

School education and participation in school are

Informal groups and NGOs which offer the possibility

Seite 10 Zurück zur ersten Seite

Due to all the dimensions of globalization – questions of

So the players of the state and non-governmental

Such a concept of “multi-level governance” makes local

-Young people can be motivated to participate when they

- Rights and opportunities for participation, as well as

- Those active in participation profit personally, make

Seite 12 Zurück zur ersten Seite

1. A culture of communication which enables a nonhierarchical

Last but not least, political participation also requires

Investing in the culture of democracy and civil society,

Seite 14 Zurück zur ersten Seite

1) Political Interest and Democracy

Sources: DJI-Youth Survey (www.dji.de/jugendsurvey)

Flash Eurobarometer. Young Europeans 2007

1992 1997 2003 1992 1997 2003

Politics as an area of life are 35 42 43 33 37 42

I know a lot about politics 15 14 12 13 9 12

Politics are far too complicated 41 40 42 46 50 47

Politics is seen as a way...

The general idea of politics is good. Its realization

Approval of 1992 1997 2003 1992 1997 2003

Idea of democracy (2 "pro"-categ.) 90 84 84 81 71 72

Idea of democracy (3 "pro"-categ.) 98 96 96 96 94 94

Right to form an opposition 67 61 64 70 60 60

Seite 22 Zurück zur ersten Seite

→ Work in NGOs is considered more effective than

Seite 23 Zurück zur ersten Seite

1.Traditional 2. Informal 3. Activities (temporary / situative)

(A) Parties Human rights, Voting, demonstrations (unconventional/

(B) Labour unions, Women's/ Strikes organized by labour unions

(C) Non- Sports clubs, Animal rights

Seite 24 Zurück zur ersten Seite

Unconventional participation –willingness

Traditional clubsand associations

Lessorganized groups/ initiatives/ NGOs

● Differences between the old and the new German Länder

Seite 26 Zurück zur ersten Seite

Source: Flash Eurobarometer. Young Europeans 2007

● The political groups referred to as 'New Social