Dutch Adolescents’ Views on Democracy and Decision Making

• In Event: Roundtable Session 16
  In Roundtable Session: International Perspectives on Moral Development and Education

Abstract

Little is known about adolescents’ views on democracy. In this paper, we describe the results of our interview study with 40 adolescents from the eighth grade on their views on democratic decision making. Although their knowledge about political democracy is limited, almost all interviewees were willing to take the group perspective as a starting point when it came to decision making within the classroom. Their views on decision making within this social context appear to correspond to models of democracy as we know them. Of course, these results do not predict future behavior in political life, but they suggest the possibility of a link between their lives and politics.

Authors

• Hessel Nieuwelink, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences

• Paul Dekker, University of Tilburg

• Geert Ten Dam, University of Amsterdam

• Femke Geijsel, University of Amsterdam