Young People and European Citizenship

Abstract: The European Union increasingly regulates the lives of European citizens, not only with respect to the economic but also the political and social spheres. However, the knowledge of and the interest in these developments is low. In this context the attitude of young people as future citizens and voters is especially important. Based on a study of a total of 3890 18 to 24 year olds in 10 European regions factors are analysed that make young people interested in European integrationand likely to vote in European elections. The results show that aspects of "activation" such as political efficacy, discussions of social and political issues and interest in a range of social and political issues influence both attitudes. In addition emotional attachment to Europe proved to be another important factor. "Activation" is influenced - apart from socio-demographic variables - by citizenship education, which varies considerably between countries in kind and extent. The data therefore stress the importance of citizenship education and suggest the inclusion of a European dimension in citizenship education.;