What do young people think about democracy? Do they understand how democratic institutions work? Do they expect to vote and to take part in other civic activities as adults? Do they believe in and practice tolerance?
Responses to questions such as these, and some of their policy implications, are examined in a recently released OAS report, based on the analysis of data collected in a cross-national civic education study which included Chile, Colombia and the United States.
The study analyzes the civic knowledge, attitudes and activities of 14 and 17 year-old students, as well as their trust in institutions and use of media sources. The results obtained are relevant for policies in areas such as curriculum reform, design of teaching materials, pedagogical approaches, teacher formation, media education, community outreach and democratic school environments.
The report is an OAS contribution to the hemispheric effort aimed at identifying the best educational practices for citizenship formation in democratic societies.
Strengthening Democracy in the Americas through Civic Education (UDSE Empirical Analysis)
Executive Summary of UDSE Empirical Analysis