Research: Impact of Citizenship Studies on Youth Democracy Engagement

A new research project launched by the Association for Citizenship Teaching (ACT) in partnership with Nottingham Trent University and Royal Holloway, University of London aims to shed light on the impact of GCSE Citizenship Studies on young people’s engagement with democracy.

The project, led by Professor Matt Henn of Nottingham Trent University alongside a team of experts, will explore whether studying for the qualification encourages participation in democratic processes like voting and political discussions.

The project seeks the participation of a diverse range of 16-19 year olds across the UK. An anonymous online survey is now available, and schools and colleges are encouraged to share the link with their students.

“We want to include the views of a broad cross-section of young people,” explains Professor Henn. “We hope that the results of our survey will help shape education so that it becomes a more effective way of helping young people to engage with democracy in our country now and in the future.”

The research team will analyse the data to assess the potential of Citizenship Studies to:

• Increase youth participation in democracy
• Reduce social inequalities in democratic engagement

The findings will be presented in a research report for ACT, informing policy decisions about citizenship education at national and local levels.

Those interested in participating in the survey can by clicking the link below. The deadline for responding is 30th June.

Schools and colleges can learn more and watch a video Professor Henn explaining more about the project here.