Young people and citizenship education: The impact of studying GCSE Citizenship Studies on young people’s democratic engagement and participation

New research reveals the impact of GCSE Citizenship Studies on political knowledge, engagement, confidence and inclusion.

We’re pleased to share the final report from the national research study conducted by Professor Matt Henn, Professor James Sloam, and Dr Ana Nunes, exploring how GCSE Citizenship education is shaping young people’s democratic knowledge and participation.

The report was officially launched at our live online event, Young People, Citizenship and Democracy Education: What the Evidence Tells Us, where the research team presented headline findings and discussed their significance with educators, policymakers and youth organisations.

The findings provide timely and compelling evidence for decision-makers—especially as debates around Votes at 16 and the future of the national curriculum continue.

Key findings include:

Young people who studied GCSE Citizenship are more likely to trust democratic institutions, understand political processes, and intend to vote.
They demonstrate stronger political knowledge, greater engagement with current affairs, and increased confidence in navigating politics and democratic processes.

The subject plays a critical role in closing civic engagement gaps, particularly among:

• Young women – showing significantly greater levels of political interest and self-belief in their ability to make a difference
• Racialised minority students – gaining deeper understanding of how democracy works and feeling more politically included
• Students from lower socio-economic backgrounds – expressing a stronger sense of political agency and interest in local or national decision-making

This report also aligns with ACT’s broader policy work, including recent evidence given by ACT Chief Executive Liz Moorse to Parliament’s Speaker’s Conference on the Security of Candidates, MPs and Elections, where she called for a fully statutory Citizenship curriculum starting in primary and extending through post-16.