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Erik Lundberg
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Peer-reviewed article

Time matters: civic engagement and the development of anti-immigrant attitudes among adolescents

2022Lundberg, E., & Abdelzadeh, A.Acta Politica

What is this study about?

The study examines whether and how engagement in civil society organizations is related to the development of young people's attitudes toward immigration. By following the same adolescents over several years, it analyses both how long they are engaged and what type of organization they take part in. The study can thus examine whether more lasting civic engagement is associated with changes in attitudes over time.

What did we find?

Can engagement in associations affect young people's attitudes toward immigration? By following adolescents over several years, the study shows that more long-lasting civic engagement is associated with less negative attitudes toward immigrants. At the same time, the results show that both how long young people are engaged and what type of organization they take part in matter.

Why does it matter?

Civil society is often described as a "school of democracy", where participation is assumed to develop tolerance and other democratic values. The study shows that the relationship is more nuanced: it is not enough to ask whether young people are active in associations or not – the duration of engagement and its organizational context also matter. The results thus contribute to the understanding of the conditions under which civil society can function as an environment where democratic attitudes develop.

Citation

Lundberg, E., & Abdelzadeh, A. (2022) Time matters: civic engagement and the development of anti-immigrant attitudes among adolescents. Acta Politica 57 597–620

Research area

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