Influence - Jongerenvertegenwoordigers

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Table of Contents
Introduction
3
Characteristics of the Surveyed Youth
3
The Most Important Political Themes to Youth
4
Information Sources on Political Themes
6
Evaluating Politics on Different Levels of Government
9
Attention to Politics in Education
11
Political Themes and the Youth Opinion
14
Willingness to Express Opinion
16
Feeling They Have Influence on Political Outcomes
17
Conclusions and Recommendations
20
Appendix
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Colophon
National Youth Council (NJR), March 2015
Thanks to the youths who were interviewed, all the youths of the NJR Panel and the teachers
who assisted.
Text written by: Sheila Rebel
Design: NJR
Translation: Arielle Dundas
Made possible by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) and the European Commission.
The following schools are represented in this study: Stedelijk Dalton Lyceum (Dordrecht),
Actief College (Oud-Beijerland), SG De Rietlanden (Lelystad), Vlietland College (Leiden), Dr.
Nassau College (Assen), Scholengemeenschap Tabor locatie Oscar Romero (Hoorn),
Stellingwerf College (Oosterwolde), Reynaert College (Hulst), CS Walcheren locatie Van de
Perre (Middelburg), Koning Willem II College (Tilburg), Scala College (Alphen a/d Rijn), Edith
Stein College (Den Haag), ROC Midden Nederland (Utrecht), ROC Aventus (Apeldoorn) en
ROC Nijmegen.
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Introduction
This survey was a part of Structured Dialogue, a continuous and ongoing project in which youths and
policy makers throughout Europe examine what constitutes good youth policy. In the current cycle,
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participants examine the theme: youth empowerment for political participation .
In preparation for our research we came across the interesting Aelberts theory. According to Chris
Aelberts (2004) a concerned citizen does not need to be well-informed on every topic in order. It is
enough for people to be knowledgeable about topics they find personally relevant. This also applies to
young people; He says that youths would do better to behave as monitorial citizens. They need only
express themselves if they think it is important to make a meaningful contribution to the political
debate or political decisions. This means that they should be sensitive to politics or be 'politically
sensitive.”
Much is required for political engagement: a lot of knowledge, interest, and participation and no
cynicism. Using Aelberts concept of 'political sensitivity' on the other hand, it is sufficient if citizens
are vigilant on the issues that are important to them. This vision is appropriate for a representative
democracy where citizens are represented by politicians and citizens really trust the politicians with
this responsibility, without intending to be constantly involved in every policy decision. If citizens are
alertly observant over their interests, they are in a position to act if their interests are not being served.
This requires that they have basic knowledge about the role of politics in their daily lives and that they
know the steps necessary to influence the political decisions which affect their interests. Above all
they must be prepared to take those steps. Finally, they must feel that they can influence politics.
We have used these insights from Aelberts for this survey. We have charted the political issues young
people care about, whether they are familiar with ways to express themselves politically , and whether
they would use these methods. We ask them to estimate their knowledge of the role of politics and if
their education adequately covers this information. We also ask how much they value political
decision-making and whether they find it necessary for politicians to hear the views of the youth.
Finally, we ask if the youth feel that their opinion influences various levels of government, and
whether that influence will change when they become adults.
1 Guiding questions’1. What should be done to stimulate a culture of political participation in all aspects of education? 2. W hat should be done to increase trust and
understanding between young people and decision-makers, empowering both to better work with each other? 3. How should young people and youth organisations be
fully involved in shaping policies together with decision-makers? 4. How can youth work empower young people for political participation? 5. How should young people
from all backgrounds be informed, empowered, and engaged to take part in political and democratic processes, and how should new and alternative technologies and
tools be used for this?
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Characteristics of the Surveyed Youth
833 youths participated in this survey. The average age of the students was 16 years old. The studied
group consisted of 490 girls (59%) and 343 boys (41%) Of the participating youths 21% were in
VMBO (Pre-Vocational School), 21% were in MBO (Vocational School), 25% were in HAVO (Higher
General Education, 26% VWO (Pre-University Secondary Schools), and 7% were in unknown school
categories.
Around 7 out of 10 youths (72%) had parents who were both born in the Netherlands. Among the
respondents, 28% had at least one parent born outside the Netherlands. Most of the youths from this
group (21% of all surveyed) had one or two parents who came from a non-western country.
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The Most Important Political Themes to Youth
Earlier panel research completed by the NJR revealed that youth are interested in political
issues if they are not called “political.” Other studies have born this out, including van
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Schmidt (1995) and van Zeijl (2003) . Therefore our survey started with a question about
interest in political issues without using the word political. Then we asked the youth how much
influence they think politics has over these various topics, and how much influence politics
has over these topics.
The four topics youths found the most important were: Safety (87%), Healthcare (82%), Work (79%)
and Education (78%). The two topics that were chosen the least were: Environment (43%) and
Development aid (43%).
The youths surveyed thought that politics influences Safety (81%), Education (77%) and Government
and Politics (76%) the most. (table 2). Youths from havo and vwo were more likely to believe these
issues were influenced by politics.
Many youths also thought that politics influences Healthcare (74%).
Strikingly, far fewer youths that politics influenced Work (60%) while its proper management was
important for 79% (see table 2). The issue of Housing is important to 66% of the youths, but only half
of the youths think that politics influences this issue. The youth found Digital Affairs (47%) and Free
Time and Art (41%) to be the least likely influenced by politics.
2The CBS considers someone ‘allochtoon’ if at least one parent was born in another country. The ‘non-Western’ category consists of ‘allochtonen’ from Turkey, Africa,
Latin America, (including the Dutch Antilles and Aruba) and Asia, with the exception of Indonesia and Japan. ‘Allochtonen’ from the latter are considered as ‘Western’
allochtonen on the basis of socio-economic and cultural position. This mainly applies to people who were born in former Dutch East Indies and employees – and their
family - from Japanese companies ((source: http://www.cbs.nl). A western ‘allochtone’ youngster can also be someone who has a parent who was born in Belgium. A
youngster with four Moroccan grandparents can be ‘autochtoon’ if his or her parents were born in the Netherlands.
3Schmidt, C. (1995). Fernsehverhalten und politische interessen jugendlicher und junger erwachsener. Media Perspektiven(5), 220-227.
4Zeijl, E. (2003). Politieke en maatschappelijke participatie. In E. Zeijl (Ed.), Rapportage jeugd 2002 (pp. 103-124). Den Haag: SCP.
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Safety – e.g. fighting crime, stopping
Healthcare – good doctors and hospitals
Work – e.g. chances of finding a job
Education – e.g. good teachers and internship opportunities
Housing – e.g. affordable housing
Welfare – e.g. support for people in difficult situations
Banks – e.g. that your money is safe, that entrepreneurs can borrow money
Poverty reduction – e.g. benefits, help with debts.
Traffic & Transportation – e.g. safe roads, reliable public transportation
Pensions – e.g. what you can spend when you no longer have to work
Free time & art – e.g. sports, museums, media, music
Government & Politics – e.g. access to voting, freedom of the press
Economy – e.g. companies can be entrepreneurial
Digital affairs – e.g. personal privacy protection, affordable calls abroad.
Environment – e.g. parks, forests, waste separation
Development aid – e.g. how much disaster relief is provided after disasters in poor lands.
Nothing
87%
82%
79%
78%
66%
65%
56%
56%
55%
54%
53%
45%
45%
44%
43%
43%
3%
Table 1: For which of these topics do you think proper management is important (for yourself and
others)? (More than one answer possible)
Overall, from the havo and the vwo were more likely to select themes for the second question. Only in
the topics for Economy, Work and Banks were there negligible differences between school groups and
whether they thought politics influenced the topic.
Furthermore older youths (16 years and older) are more likely to think that politics influences welfare,
poverty reduction, and free time and art than younger youths (younger than 16 years).
Safety
Education
Government & politics
Healthcare
Traffic & Transportation
Pensions
Economy
Welfare
Development Aid
Work
Environment
Poverty Reduction
Banks
Housing
Digital Affairs
Leisure Time & Art
Nothing
Issues youths think are influenced
by politics
81%
77%
76%
74%
69%
68%
66%
64%
62%
60%
61%
61%
56%
50%
47%
41%
2%
Issues that youths think it is
important to properly manage.
87%
78%
45%
82%
55%
54%
45%
65%
43%
79%
43.00%
56%
56%
66%
44%
53%
3%
Table 2: Which issues do you think politics influence combined with the figures from Table 1. (More
than one answer possible).
Then we asked the youths how much power politics has to improve the areas (that the youths found
important). Almost half of them (48%) think that politics has a lot of power to improve these areas
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(table 3). A slightly smaller groups (45%) thinks that this power is moderate. A very small group of
youths (4%) thinks that politics has little power to improve these areas and 3% didn't know.
A Lot
48%
Moderate
45%
Little
4%
I don't know
3%
Table 3: How much can politics influence these issues?
Information Sources on Political Themes
In this chapter we look at who youths talk to about the topics they find important. In addition,
we give an overview of the news media that the youths use to inform themselves on these
topics. Then we ask the youths what they know about the role politics plays in in the topics
they find important.
Most of the youths (74%) talk with their parents over the topics they find important. More than half of
them (57%) also discuss these topics with friends. Often this is older youths or youths in the havo and
vwo. Four out of ten youths discuss these topics with classmates and school mates. This happens
more with older youths and youths from havo and vwo.
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Parents
Friends
Classmates and Schoolmates
Other Family members
Acquaintances
Colleagues
People from their clubs (e.g. music or sports)
Neighbors
74%
57%
40%
32%
14%
14%
10%
6%
Table 4: Who do you discuss topics you selected from question 6 with? (More than one answer
possible)
Next to this question, we wanted to know what news sources they consulted about these topics. This
was primarily about news sources in the media. Here are the results:
News Programs on the TV and Radio
Youths watch NOS Journaal (83%) the most of any news programming to learn about subjects they
care about (table 5). RTL Nieuws comes in second (59%) and a little less often youths mentioned Hart
van Nederland (33%) and PowNews (32%). Het NOS Jeugdjournaal (26%) is on the fifth place. Hart
van Nederland was more often mentioned by students in (v)mbo.
NOS Journaal
RTL Nieuws
Hart van Nederland (SBS6)
PowNews (Powned)
NOS Jeugdjournaal
NOS op 3
RTL Z Nieuws (RTL)
Nieuwsuur (NOS, NTR)
EénVandaag (TROS, AVRO)
Tekst-tv (NOS)
Vandaag de dag (WNL)
Brandpunt (KRO)
Altijd Wat (NCRV)
83%
59%
33%
32%
26%
24%
24%
22%
19%
11%
10%
5%
3%
Table 5: On which news programs on TV do you receive information on the topics you selected in
question 6?
The News program on the radio that was most selected was NOS Radionieuws (38%) (table 7).
NOS Radionieuws
Radio 1 Journaal
Veronica Nieuwsradio
Met het oog op morgen (NOS)
38%
23%
16%
6%
Table 7: In which news programs on radio do you receive information on the topics you selected in
question 6?
Youths also mention other networks including Radio 538, Sky Radio, Q-music and Slam FM.
Talk shows on TV
The most frequently cited talk shows on TV in our survey were RTL Late Night (59%) and de Wereld
Draait Door (58%) (Table 6). RTL Late Night was mentioned more often by students in (v)mbo
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schools than youths in havo and vwo. Those youths were more likely to be informed by De Wereld
Draait Door.
RTL Late Night (RTL)
De Wereld Draait Door (VARA)
Pauw (VARA)
Debat op 2 (NCRV, KRO)
Hollandse zaken (MAX)
Goedemorgen Nederland (KRO)
Jinek (WNL)
Buitenhof (AVRO, VARA en VPRO)
59%
58%
18%
18%
8%
7%
7%
6%
Table 6. On which talk shows do you find information about the subjects you selected in question 6?
Newspapers or Magazines
The most cited newspapers by youths were de Telegraaf (45%), het AD (Algemeen Dagblad) (31%)
and de Volkskrant (30%) (table 8). De Metro was cited by a quarter of the youths as a source of
information. Youths from (v)mbo schools were more likely to read de Telegraaf. Youths also
mentioned regional newspapers and magazines.
Telegraaf
Algemeen Dagblad
Volkskrant
Metro
NRC Handelsblad
Trouw
Nrc•next
Elsevier
Vrij Nederland
HP de Tijd
45%
31%
30%
25%
15%
14%
11%
5%
5%
3%
Table 8: In which newspapers or magazines do you find information on the subjects you selected in
question 6?
Social media
Facebook (77%) en Nu.nl (66%) were the most popular sources of information under social media,
blogs and news websites (table 9).
Facebook
Nu.nl
Twitter
GeenStijl
Politiek24x7
FOK
72%
66%
31%
15%
7%
4%
table 9. In which social media, blogs or news sites do you find information on the subjects you
selected in question 6?
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Other News Sources
As for other news sources 43% of the young people to get information from textbooks. Teletext was
mentioned by 36% of the youths (table 10). Havo and vwo students mainly chose textbooks, whereas
(v)mbo students mainly use Teletext.
Text books
Teletext
Books
43%
36%
22%
Table 10: Which other sources do you find information on the subjects you selected in question 6?
Now that we know the people and media provide youths with information on the social issues they
find important. We ask the youths to assess their knowledge of the role of politics for these issues.
Almost a half of the youths (48%) said they knew a fair amount about politics (table 11).
A third (33%) know, according to their own assessment little or very little about the role of politics in
the issues they find important. Almost two out of every ten youths (19%) said they knew a lot about the
role politics plays in the issues they find important.
I know a lot about that
I know a fair amount about that
I know a fair amount
I know little about that
I know very little about that
2%
17%
48%
23%
10%
Table 11: How much do you know about the role politic plays in the issues you selected in question 6?
Evaluating Politics on different levels of Government
We are interested in the value the youths place on the decision making at different levels of
government (local, regional, national, European). In other words: it indicates how much trust
the youths have in political decision making process. This will make clear if the youths think
that their interests are in good hands.
The first question reads “The municipal council decides on matters in your town of residence. How do
you think they are doing?” According to around a third of the youths (34%) the municipal council does
a (very) good job (table 12). Almost four out of ten youths (37%) thinks the municipal council does not
do a good or bad job, and about one in ten (11%) thinks that the municipal council does a (very) bad
job. 18% of the youths do not know.
Very Good
Good
Not good or bad
bad
very poorly
I don't know
2%
32%
37%
8.00%
3%
18%
Table 12: The municipal council decides on matters bout your municipal of residence? How do you
think they are doing?
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The following quotes provide context:
“Things could be better, but they do not do a bad job” (girl, 15, vmbo, thinks that the Municipal
Council does a good job)
“In front of the square where we live, trees had to be cut down to make a new square. That
took far too long, but in the end it did like nice. “ (boy, 15, vmbo thinks the municipal council
doesn't do a good or bad job.)
“In some places they don't want us to chill or hang out, so they removed the benches and
garbage cans. But it is the only dry place in the neighborhood, so now there is always shit
there. “ (boy, 16, havo, thinks the municipal council does not do a good or bad job)
“Music School went bankrupt. “ boy, 15, vmbo, thinks the municipal council does a bad job)
“Our town center under construction “ (boy, 17, havo, thinks the municipal council does a bad
job)
The second question reads: “The parliament decides over matters in the Netherlands. How do you
think they are doing?” According to 3 out of 10 youths (29%) the parliament does a (very) good job
(table 13). Four out of ten youths think it does not do a good or bad job. A small group thinks they do
a (very) bad job (17%) or does not know (14%).
Very Good
Good
Neutral
Bad
Very poorly
I don't know
1%
28%
40%
12%
5%
14%
Table 13: The parliament decides over matters in the Netherlands? How do you think they are doing?
The following citations provide context:
“because they do listen to the people, but sometimes they make the cheapest decision
instead of the best decision“ (girl, 14, vmbo, thinks that the parliament does a good job)
“I think the Netherlands is well organized and I feel safe” (girl, 17, vwo, parliament does a
good job)
“Some things just don't make sense, for example a man who kills 3 people with his car and
gets only 120 community service. A lot of things are also too expensive, like gas. “ (girl 18,
mbo, thinks the parliament is doing a neutral job)
“I think there is far too much whining about small stuff, actually over big things too. Decisions
are too confusing and sometimes very wrong. For example: “Black Pete” and environmental
policy.“ (boys, 16, havo, thinks that the parliament does a bad job)
“Because I often have the feeling that there is a lot of talk and not a lot of action.” ((girl, 15,
vmbo, thinks the parliament does a bad job)
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The third question reads “The European Parliament decides on matters for the entire European Union.
How do you think they are doing?” According to a around quarter of the youths (24%) the European
parliament does a (very) good job (table 14). Around a quarter (27%) thinks the EU does a neutral
job. One in ten youths thinks they do a (very) bad job. Strikingly, 39% did not know.
Very Good
1%
Good
23%
neutral
27%
bad
6%
very poorly
4%
I don't know
39%
Table 14:The European Parliament decides on matters for the whole European Union. How do you
think they are doing?
The following quotes provide context.
“Cheaper to call other countries, paying with the Euro and faster internet” (girl, 14, vmbo,
thinks the European parliament does a good job)
“Lending money to countries that are almost bankrupt is not a good plan.“ (girl, 16, mbo, thinks
the European Parliament does a neutral job)
“I think the Netherlands needs to leave the EU.” (girl, 16, mbo, thinks that the European
parliament does a bad job )
“I wouldn't know what the European parliament does in the EU.” (boy, 15, havo, does not
know what kind of job the European parliament is doing )
Attention to politics in education
It is a generally accepted principle that politics and citizenship should be a part of vocational
and pre-university secondary education. In this chapter, we look at how youths asses how the
school handles politics and how youths can influence politics
Political Sensitivity is a theory introduced by Chris Aelberts (2004). According to him, you do not need
to be knowledgeable everything in order to be an engaged citizens. It is enough for citizens to have
knowledge over those things that they find in their own personal interest. They should express
themselves if they think they are in a position to provide a meaningful contribution to the political
debate and political policy decisions .
There are four criteria for political sensitivity:
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Citizens should pay attention to issues they care about.
-
Citizens have a basic understanding of how politics influences their daily life (mainly about the
growing realization that politics affects their life).
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-
Citizens know the steps to take to influence politics when decisions are being made that affect
their interest and they are prepared to use these steps.
-
Citizens feel they can exercise influence over politics.
For the question “Do you think that school teaches you enough about politics. Give a school grade
(out of ten):” 22% of the youths gave schools a 6 and 27% of them gave schools a 7. The average
score was a 6.3.
One of the four criteria of political sensitivity (see above) is that youths know the political steps
necessary to influence the politics if there are decisions being made that effect their interests.
Furthermore, the youth must be prepared to take these steps.
Therefore, we were curious which steps to influence politics were known by youths. It appears that
voting is the most known step. Nine out of ten youths knew this (table 15). The next steps named by
the youths were: filling out a survey out about a societal or political problem. (58%), participating in a
demonstration or protest (57%), expressing an opinion on the internet (e.g. via poll, forum, etc.) (55%)
and signing a petition(55%). Overall youths from the havo and the vwo knew of these actions. Youths
from the havo and vwo were far more familiar with the becoming a member of a political party (41%)
and participating in an interest group (29%).
The actions that were the least cited were making contact with a politician (e.g. through the mail) and
participating in a interest group (17%).
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Voting
Filling out a survey about a political or societal problem
Participating in a protest or demonstration
Expressing an opinion on the internet (eg forum or poll)
Signing a petition
Becoming a member of a political party
Comment in newspaper, on radio or on TV
Participating in a (youth) debate
Participating in or being a member of an activist organization.
Being on a youth council
Contacting a politician (e.g. through mail)
Participating in an interest group.
90%
58%
57%
55
55%
41%
40%
29%
29%
24%
22%
17%
Table 15: Which actions to influence politics do you recognize? (More than one answer possible)
After selecting recognized actions that can influence politics we asked the youths if school taught them
about how to exercise influence over politics.
Learning in school about municipal politics
53% of the youths think that the school does (very) little to teach students about how they can
influence municipal politics (table 16). More than a third (34%) think that the school teaches a fair
amount. A small group (13%) think that schools do (quite) a lot.
Quite a lot
A lot
A fair amount
School does little
Very little
2%
11%
34%
31%
22%
Table 16: How much do you learn about how to influence municipal politics in school?
Education in school about national politics.
According to 52% of the youths the school dos (very) little to teach them how they can exercise
influence over national politics. (table 17) A third 33%) thinks that schools them a fair amount and a
small group of youths (15%) schools teach them (quite) a lot.
Quite a lot
A lot
A fair amount
A little
A very little
2%
13%
33%
30%
22%
Table 17: How much do you learn about how to influence national politics in school?
Learning in school about European Politics
68% of youths are of the opinion that schools do (very) little to teach them how they can influence
European elections (table 18). A quarter of the youths think that schools pay a fair amount of attention
to the European Parliament and a very small group (7%) thinks the school spends a (very) lot on
European influence.
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Quite a lot
A lot
A fair amount
A little
A very little
1%
6%
25%
34%
34%
Table 18: How much do you learn in school how you can influence European politics?
Political Themes and the Youth Opinion
We saw in the beginning of the report that youths found the themes of Safety, Healthcare,
Work, and Education particularly important. In this chapter we will see on which topics youths
think it is important that they are heard in politics. We also see in which subjects the youths
feel that their personal opinion can have influence.
Around eight out of ten youths (82%) think it is important that youths are heard on the subject of
education (table 19). The subjects of Safety (62%) and Work (62%) come in joint second place
When we look at the differences between educational systems, we see that students from havo and
vwo find it especially important for youths to have an influence over education. Safety is especially
prized by youths in the (v)mbo and older youths find it more important to be heard on the subject of
Work than younger youths.
The two subjects least mentioned by youths were: Pensions (26%) and Development Aid (22%).
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Education – e.g good teachers and internship opportunities
Safety – e.g. fighting crime, stopping child abuse
Work – e.g. chances of finding a job
Free time & art – e.g. sports, museums, media, music
Housing – e.g. affordable housing
Digital affairs – e.g. personal privacy protection, affordable calls abroad.
Welfare – e.g. support for people in difficult situations
Healthcare – good doctors and hospitals
Traffic & Transportation – e.g. safe roads, reliable public transportation
Economy – e.g. companies can be entrepreneurial
Government & Politics – e.g. access to voting, freedom of the press
Banks – e.g. that your money is safe, that entrepreneurs can borrow money
Poverty reduction – e.g. benefits, help with debts.
Environment – e.g. parks, forests, waste separation
Pensions – e.g. what you can spend when you no longer have to work
Development aid – e.g. how much disaster relief is provided after disasters in poor lands.
None of the above
82%
62%
62%
54%
44%
41%
40%
47%
38%
30%
29%
27%
27%
27%
26%
22%
3%
Table 19: On which topics do you think it is important for youths to be heard in politics? (More than
one answer possible)
When we asked (via an open question) on which subjects the youths found most important for their
personal opinions to be heard, they primarily selected Education. The most important argument for
this selection is that it was important for their future.
“We are in school, so we know better than anyone else how it works and how it can be
improved. ” (on Education, girl, 15, vmbo)
The youths also found it important for their particular opinion to be heard on the themes of: Safety,
Work, Leisure time, Healthcare, and Welfare. A few youths mention the themes of Housing and Digital
Affairs.
”There is a lot of abuse of our privacy that must be change, for example on Facebook and
Whatsapp” (on Digital Affairs, 17, vmbo)
“Seniors should be showered more than once a week and I would like to be taken care of as
well” (on welfare, girl. 17, vwo)
Next we asked the youths on which subjects they believed they could influence. About three in ten
youths gave Education as their answer.
“You could send a letter from a large group of students to a politician.” (boy, 16, vwo)
“ have the feeling that youths have very different opinions on these topic than parents. ” (girl,
16, HAVO)
“I can participate on the student council and I can talk with my department head and principle
about my ideas.” (girl, 15, havo)
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Of the youths who answered the question “On which subjects do you think it is important for your voice
to be heard.” (N=711), around two out of ten youths (21%) had the feeling that their opinions could
influence the subjects they found important.
“ When we all protested it didn't work.” (girl, 15, havo)
“Because politicians don't even listen to adults.” (girl, 16, havo)
“ One person won't be listened to.” (boy, 15, vmbo)
“They really don't listen to the youth.” (girl, 16, havo)
“The politicians still control everything. ” (girl, 15, vmbo)
Willingness to express opinion
We saw earlier that voting was the action most known by youths. Knowing an action step does
not mean that youths are prepared to take that action step if necessary. We were very curious
to see how the youths evaluated their own willing to take those action steps.
For the question which action step(s) the youths would take when necessary, seven out of the ten said
that they would vote (table 20). A smaller group said they would express their opinion on the internet
(45%). Participating in a survey (42%) and participating in a survey (42%) came in a joint third place.
Participating in a demonstration came in fourth (31%). Youths from havo and vwo were more likely to
participate in a petition or a demonstration.
The least popular action steps were being on a youth council (14%), actively participating in or being a
member of a interest group or club (14%) or participating in or being a member of a political party or
an activist organization (11%).
Which action
Which
step(s) would
actions to
you take if
influence
necessary?
politics do
you
recognize?
Voting
Expressing an opinion on the internet (eg forum or poll)
Filling out a survey about a political or societal problem
Signing a petition
Participating in a protest or demonstration
Comment in newspaper, on radio or on TV
Participating in a (youth) debate
Contacting a politician (eg through mail)
Being on a youth council
Activist organization; active in or member of an interest group or
club
16
70%
45%
42%
42%
31%
21%
15%
15%
14%
14%
90%
55%
58%
55%
57%
40%
29%
22%
24%
29%
Participating in or being a member of an activist organization or club
Nothing
11%
6%
41
0%
Table 20: Which action step(s) would you take if necessary combined with which actions to influence
politics do you recognize?(Multiple answers possible)
The following quotes provide context
“I think this is the most the most effective tool, the others usually achieve nothing.” (boy 16,
havo, on voting)
“These are the options that require the least effort from me” (girl 18, vwo, on surveys and
demonstrations)
“These do not require too much time. Activist organizations are far too time-consuming.” (girl
16, vwo, on polls, surveys, and petitions)
“I just did this against our new loan system.” (girl, 17, vwo, on demonstrating)
“My opinion is that if you take a lot of action it will be seen and it will make people think.” (girl,
19, mbo, on youth councils, debate, demonstration, surveys, and poll)
“If you want to achieve something you must devote a lot of attention to it.” (boy, 15, vmbo, on
debate, demonstrations, petitions, and opinions in the newspaper).
“The more people take action the more we will be heard.” (girl, 16, vmbo, on debate, youth
councils, demonstrations, petitions and surveys)
Feeling they have influence on political outcomes.
In addition to attention to and a basic understanding of politics and knowing the ways to take
political action, youths need to feel that they have political influence in order to be considered
politically sensitive. We asked the youths their opinion on every governmental level (local,
provincial, national, European, global). Then we asked them what they think their influence is
now and whether that might change when they are adults.
Firstly, almost four in ten youths (37%) thought they had (very) little influence over the decisions in the
municipal council (table 21). Almost two in ten (19%) thought they had (quite) a lot of influence. But
around a third (36%) thought they had neither much or little influence (primarily youths from the havo
and vwo were of this opinion. 8% of the youths were not sure.
More than half of the youths (55%) think they have (very) little influence over the provincial
government (table 21). Almost a quarter (24%) think they have a fair amount of influence. A very small
group (9%) think they have (quite) a lot of influence on the decisions of the provincial government and
12% of the youths were not sure.
17
Almost six of every ten youths (57%) think that they have (very) little influence over the parliament
(table 21). Two out of ten think they have a fair amount of influence. A small group (13%) thinks they
have (quite) a lot influence and 10% are not sure.
Almost seven in ten youths (66%) think they have (very) little influence over the decisions of the
European Parliament (table 21). Especially youths from havo and vwo. A small group (14%) think they
have a fair amount influence. 9 percent think they have (quite) a lot of influence and 11% do not know.
66% think they have (very) little influence over the decisions of the United Nations (table 21).
Especially students from the havo and vwo agree with that. A small group (12%) think they have a fair
amount influence and a group just as big doesn't know. One of ten youths think that they have (quite)
a lot influence on the decisions of the United Nations.
In the table below you see in the combined results that the higher the level of government, the less
youths expected to exercise influence over the decisions.
Quite a lot
A lot
A fair amount
A little
Very Little
I don't know
municipal
council
3%
16%
36%
23%
14%
8%
Provincial
Government
2%
7%
24%
30%
25%
12%
Parliament
5%
8%
20%
19%
38%
10%
European
Parliament
3%
6%
14%
16%
50%
11%
United Nations
3%
7%
12%
10%
56%
12%
Table 21: The municipal council, provincial government, Dutch Parliament, European Parliament make
decisions that affect you. How much influence do you think you have over their decisions?
Lastly, we asked the youths how much influence they think have now and how much influence do they
think they will have as adults.
Around a third of the youths (35%) think that as adults they will have (very) little influence on politics
(table 26). Around four in ten youths think they will have A fair amount influence. A small percentage
(15%) thinks they will have (quite) a lot influence and 7% don't know.
Three quarters of the youths think that they have (very) little influence over politics now (table 27). A
considerably smaller percentage (13%) thinks that they have a fair amount influence, 5% thinks they
have (quite) a lot of influence and 7% do not know.
Quite a lot
A lot
A fair amount
A little
Very little
I don't know
How much influence do you
think you will have over politics
as an adult
1%
14%
43%
24%
11%
7%
How much influence over
politics do you think you have
now.
1%
4%
13%
22%
53%
7%
Table 22: How much influence do you think you will have over politics as an adult and how much
influence over politics do you think you have now?
18
Youths that think they have influence over politics were often 18 years old or older. The most youths
think they don't have much to contribute.
“ We are minors and adults think we don't understand this sort of thing.” (girl. 15, vwo)
“ We aren't allowed to vote, so we have little influence.” (boy, 16, vwo)
‘” Because I am still young and politics sees youths as dumb and naive” (girl, 15, havo)
“ Because there are so many people who try to influence politics, but very little of that is
heard.” (girl, 15, vmbo)
19
Conclusions and Recommendations
In order for citizens to have political involvement, they must meet high standards: a lot of knowledge, a
lot of interest, no cynicism, and a lot of participation. In contrast, for political sensitivity, it is enough for
citizens to be observant. To meet this standard citizens must be alert, attentive to their own interest,
and prepared to take action if their interests are not being served. This requires a basic understanding
of the role politics plays in their daily lives and knowledge of the action steps necessary to influence
politics when politics affects their interest. Above all they must be prepared to actually take these
steps. So they must feel that they can exercise influence over politics.
It is clear from our survey that very few youths qualify for political involvement but a large group
qualifies as political sensitive.
First of all, we can say that there is no negative attitude about politics among youths. Youths are often
seen as those who have no interest in political issues and no trust in politics, but actually we did not
see that reflected in our research. Youths are aware of social issues. They have a pretty good idea of
the role politics plays in their daily lives. They discuss these subjects with other people, primarily their
parents and their friends. They have moderate to good trust in the political process. There is more of a
lack of understanding than a lack of trust. A good example of this is the youths opinion of European
Politics: quite a lot of the youths could not evaluate whether the European Parliament functioned well,
but a very small group of people have a negative view of the European Parliament. The youths have a
reasonable appreciation for political institutions, particularly at a local and national level. The youths
demonstrated a reasonable understanding of local and national political processes: the efforts of the
municipal Council are reflected in their surroundings and youths learn quite a bit about the Parliament
through the media.
Youths seem to know where to get their information. Het NOS Journaal was particularly noticeable as
a news source, but nu.nl, newspapers, news radio, and teletext are all known sources for youths.
Despite the available information they have a modest assessment of their own knowledge; a third of
them indicated that they know little about the subjects that interest them, so there is still progress to be
made.
An important component of political sensitivity is a basic, but complete, understanding of the role of
politics. Youths get information from the people in their community and the media, but schools get
worryingly low scores when it comes to informing youths on politics. Knowledge about the role of
politics, not tied to current events, would be just the sort of things schools should teach. Schools could
also pay more attention on the ways citizens can have influence.
Young people are optimistic about the impact they can have on the political process, but at the same
time they have due modesty, based on the logical realization that an individual can have less influence
than a group. The higher the level of government, the less influence they think they have. Only a third
of the youths think that they have only a little influence on the municipal council, more than a half feel
that way about the parliament, and two thirds of them feel that way about the EU and UN. It is also
striking that young people think as adults have later clearly more influence than now as minor.
20
All in all, we feel justified to conclude that youths in general can be called politically sensitive. They
pay close attention to the issues that influence their daily lives. They know where to get their
information. They have a reasonable understanding of action steps. They have a reasonable feeling
that they can influence politics. However, there is insufficient understanding of the decision making
process and more attention should be paid in schools to this. Their willingness to act is also quite low.
In regards to the latter, it is important to have a look at one important detail from the survey. In any
legitimate democratic system is it essential that as many citizens possible at least vote. Apart from the
debate about political involvement versus political sensitivity, you could say that the general social
norm in the Netherlands, is that you ought to vote, even though you're free to not do that. The turnout
at elections is on a downward trend, although at a national level the number of people who vote is still
high. Our survey now shows that 90% of young people are aware of the possibility of voting and 70%
indicating that they will do so. If we want to maintain the Dutch norm that people ought to vote, more
youths need to be motivated to vote than is currently the case. That is another reason more attention
needs to be paid to our democracy in education.
21
Appendix
Influence
Questionnaire
This question is about how you see politics. Do you think it is important to know what is being
decided for you? Do you think your opinion matters? Do you feel you have influence? The
European Union really wants to know what youths thinks about these things. That is why we
are researching this topic. It is about your opinion, therefore there are no right or wrong
answers. Good Luck.
1. You are a:
girl
boy
2. Your age is _____________
3. You are in the following Sort of School:
o VMBO Basis
o VMBO Kader
o VMBO Basis/Kader
o VMBO Gemengde Leerweg
o VMBO Theoretische Leerweg
o MBO Beroepsbegeleidende Leerweg
o MBO Beroepsopleidende Leerweg
o HAVO
o VWO
o Other, specifically ...
4. What country was your father born in? ...
5. What country was your mother born in? ...
22
6. For which of these topics do you think proper management is important (for yourself and others)?
(More than one answer possible)
– e.g. fighting crime, stopping child abuse
– e.g. support for people in difficult situations
– good doctors and hospitals
– e.g. good teachers and internship opportunities
– e.g. chances of finding a job
– e.g. sports, museums, media, music
– e.g. personal privacy protection, affordable calls abroad.
– e.g. safe roads, reliable public transportation
– e.g. parks, forests, waste separation
– e.g. access to voting, freedom of the press
– e.g. companies can be entrepreneurial
– e.g. affordable housing
– e.g. benefits, help with debts.
– e.g. what you can spend when you no longer have to work
– e.g. how much disaster relief is provided after disasters in poor lands.
– e.g. that your money is safe, that entrepreneurs can borrow money
f the above
7. Which of these topics can politics influence?
(More than one answer possible)
– e.g. fighting crime, stopping child abuse
– e.g. support for people in difficult situations
– good doctors and hospitals
– e.g. good teachers and internship opportunities
– e.g. chances of finding a job
– e.g. sports, museums, media, music
– e.g. personal privacy protection, affordable calls abroad.
Transportation – e.g. safe roads, reliable public transportation
– e.g. parks, forests, waste separation
23
– e.g. access to voting, freedom of the press
– e.g. companies can be entrepreneurial
– e.g. affordable housing
– e.g. benefits, help with debts.
– e.g. what you can spend when you no longer have to work
– e.g. how much disaster relief is provided after disasters in poor lands.
– e.g. that your money is safe, that entrepreneurs can borrow money
8.
How much can politics influence these topics ?
0 A lot
0 moderate
0 A little
0 I don't know
9. Who do you discuss topics you selected from question 6 with?
(More than one answer possible )
.g. Sports and music clubs)
24
10. On which news programs on TV do you receive information on the topics you selected in question
6?
(More than one answer possible)
Television News
t (KRO)
-tv (NOS)
Talkshows
De wereld draait door (VARA)
Pauw (VARA)
Jinek (WNL)
Goedemorgen Nederland (KRO)
Hollandse zaken (MAX)
Buitenhof (AVRO, VARA en VPRO)
25
News Radio
NOS Radionieuws
Radio 1 Journaal
Met het oog op morgen (NOS)
Newspapers or Magazines
Telegraaf
Metro
Algemeen Dagblad
Volkskrant
NRC Handelsblad
Trouw
Nrc•next
Elsevier
HP de Tijd
Vrij Nederland
Others, specifically …
Social Media, Blogs, Websites
Nu.nl
Facebook
Twitter
GeenStijl
FOK
26
Other Sources
11. How much do you know about the role politics plays in the issues you selected in question 6?
0 I know quite a lot
0 I know a lot
0 I know a fair amount
0 I know a little
0 I know a very little
12. The municipal council decides on matters in your municipal of residence. How do you think they
are doing?
0 Very well
0 Well
0 Not well, but also not poorly
0 poorly
0 very poorly
0 I don't know
13. Explain why:
…………………………. ………………………….
…………………………. ………………………….
14. The parliament decides over matters in the Netherlands. How do you think they are doing?
0 Very well
0 Well
0 Not well, but also not poorly
0 poorly
27
0 very poorly
0 I don't know
15. Explain why:
…………………………. ………………………….
…………………………. ………………………….
16. The European Parliament decides on matters for the whole European Union. How do you think
they are doing?
0 Very well
0 Well
0 Not well, but also not poorly
0 poorly
0 very poorly
0 I don't know
17. Explain why:
…………………………. ………………………….
…………………………. ………………………….
18. Do you think that school teaches you enough about politics. Give a school grade (out of ten)
…
19. Which actions to influence politics do you recognize? (You may choose more than one)
.g. forum or poll)
in a protest or demonstration
28
.g. through mail)
Deelnemen aan of lid zijn van een politieke partij
20. Do you learn at school what you can do to influence municipal politics?
0
Quite a lot
0
A lot
0
A fair amount
0
A little
0
A very little
21. How much do you learn about how to influence national politics in school?
0
Quite a lot
0
A lot
0
A fair amount
0
A little
0
A very little
22. How much do you learn about how to influence European policies in school?
29
0
Quite a lot
0
A lot
0
A fair amount
0
A little
0
A very little
23. On which topics do you think it is important for youths to be heard in politics? More than one
answer is possible.
– e.g. fighting crime, stopping child abuse
– e.g. support for people in difficult situations
– good doctors and hospitals
– e.g. good teachers and internship opportunities
– .e.g. chances of finding a job
– e.g. sports, museums, media, music
– e.g. personal privacy protection, affordable calls abroad.
– e.g. safe roads, reliable public transportation
– e.g. parks, forests, waste separation
– e.g. access to voting, freedom of the press
– e.g. companies can be entrepreneurial
– e.g. affordable housing
– e.g. benefits, help with debts.
– e.g. what you can spend when you no longer have to work
– e.g. how much disaster relief is provided after disasters in poor lands.
– e.g. that your money is safe, that entrepreneurs can borrow money
Something else, specifically …
24. On which subjects from question 23 do you think it is important for your opinion to be heard?
…………………………. ………………………….
…………………………. ………………………….
25. Explain why:
…………………………. ………………………….
…………………………. ………………………….
30
26. On which of the subjects from question 23 do you think your opinion could influence decisions?
…………………………. ………………………….
…………………………. ………………………….
27. Explain why:
…………………………. ………………………….
…………………………. ………………………….
28. Which action step(s) would you take if necessary:
(More than one answer possible)
demonstration
ticipating in or being a member of an activist organization or club
29. Explain why:
…………………………. ………………………….
31
…………………………. ………………………….
30. The municipal council decides on matters in your municipal of residence. How much influence do
you think you have over their decisions?
0 Quite a lot
0 A lot
0 A fair amount
0 A little
0 Very little
0 I don't know
31. The Provincial government decides on matters for your province. How much influence do you
think you have over their decisions?
0 Quite a lot
0 A lot
0 A fair amount
0 A little
0 Very little
0 I don't know
32. The parliament decides on matters for the Netherlands. How much influence do you think you
have over their decisions?
0 Quite a lot
0 A lot
0 A fair amount
0 A little
0 Very little
0 I don't know
32
33. The European Parliament decides on matters for the entire European Union. How much influence
do you think you have over their decisions?
0 Quite a lot
0 A lot
0 A fair amount
0 A little
0 Very little
0 I don't know
34. The United Nations decides on matters for the whole world. How much influence do you think you
have over their decisions?
0 Quite a lot
0 A lot
0 A fair amount
0 A little
0 Very little
0 I don't know
35. How much influence over politics do you think you will have when you are an adult?
0 Quite a lot
0 A lot
0 A fair amount
0 A little
0 Very little
0 I don't know
33
36. How much influence over politics do you think you have now?
0 Quite a lot
0 A lot
0 A fair amount
0 A little
0 Very little
0 I don't know
37. Explain why you think you have that much influence over politics:
…………………………. ………………………….
…………………………. ………………………….
38. What do you think of that?
…………………………. ………………………….
…………………………. ………………………….
39. Is there anything else you would like to add to this questionnaire?
…
Thank you for filling this out! We will raffle of 10 gift certificates worth €20. The raffle will be organized
through the teacher who is our contact person. The results will be available www.njr.nl in March 2015.
For questions and suggestions you may mail [email protected] NJR, Kromme Nieuwegracht 58, 3512 HL
Utrecht, tel. 030 230 35 75, [email protected], www.njr.nl
34