Peer-reviewed article
When Standby Citizens Step In: The Role of Institutional Factors in Triggering Youth Political Participation
2025Abdelzadeh, A., Lundberg, E., & Amnå, E.YOUNG
What is this study about?
The study examines why some politically interested but not yet active young people begin to participate politically. The focus is on so-called standby citizens: people who follow politics and are ready to act but do not currently participate actively. By following young people over time, the study examines whether changes in their views of political institutions and the way government works can help trigger a transition from political readiness to actual participation.
What did we find?
Politically passive young people are not necessarily uninterested. The study shows that so-called standby citizens – politically interested young people who do not yet participate actively – have a clear readiness to become politically active. Those who moved from readiness to active participation had at the same time become more dissatisfied with the government's performance, suggesting that perceived political shortcomings can act as a trigger for participation.
Why does it matter?
Political passivity is often interpreted as a sign of disinterest or distancing from politics. The study shows that this picture is too simple. Among young people there are those who stand outside active participation while at the same time having both political interest and a readiness to act when they feel the situation demands it. This means that the boundary between politically active and passive is more fluid than it may seem, and that changes in how young people perceive the functioning of politics and institutions can help transform political readiness into actual participation.
Citation
Abdelzadeh, A., Lundberg, E., & Amnå, E. (2025) When Standby Citizens Step In: The Role of Institutional Factors in Triggering Youth Political Participation. YOUNG
Research area
Related publications
- Peer-reviewed articleYouth Political Socialization and Participation
From civic roots to voting booths: Gendered pathways from adolescent motivation to electoral participation in adulthood
2026Lundberg, E., & Abdelzadeh, A.Political Psychology
- Peer-reviewed articleYouth Political Socialization and ParticipationCivic Engagement and Volunteering
The role of youth extracurricular activities and political intentions in later political participation and civic engagement
2025Lundberg, E., & Abdelzadeh, A.Journal of Adolescence
- Peer-reviewed articleYouth Political Socialization and Participation
Can Participation in Mock Elections Boost Civic Competence among Students?
2024Lundberg, E.Journal of Political Science Education
- Peer-reviewed articleTrust, Tolerance and Democratic ValuesCivic Engagement and VolunteeringYouth Political Socialization and Participation
Time matters: civic engagement and the development of anti-immigrant attitudes among adolescents
2022Lundberg, E., & Abdelzadeh, A.Acta Politica