Tracing the trends and transitions in young people's citizenship practices: what are the implications for researching citizenship and citizenship education?

Background: Youth participation (or lack thereof) has been a subject of continued concern over the past 20 years. This decline has prompted huge interest in understanding how young people practice citizenship and in identifying measures that can help increase participation and interest. Purpose: The aim of this article is to examine how young people's citizenship practices change over the course of their adolescence, and to consider the implications for researching citizenship and citizenship education. Citizenship education has been identified as an important vehicle for shaping citizenship, but it is not the only variable shaping young people's practices and outcomes. In order to maximise the potential of citizenship education, it is therefore important to understand the ways in which age and lifestage can influence how young citizens engage with citizenship. Sources of evidence: This article is based on analysis of the longitudinal survey data from the Citizenship Education Longitudinal Survey in England (CELS), which ran from 2001 to 2009. Main findings: Trend analysis of the CELS data revealed notable increases in the cohort's participation in civic and political activities, marked changes in their attitudes, and an increase in levels of interest in and awareness of politics. This analysis also highlighted a 'dip' in some of the cohort's citizenship practices as they progressed through Key Stage 4 of their compulsory secondary education (i.e. when the cohort were aged 14-16). Conclusions: Adolescence is a formative period in citizenship and educational development and young people's citizenship practices change markedly during this period. Age/life-stage is not the only variable shaping young people's citizenship practices but it has a clear impact, and can affect how young people engage with citizenship and, by extension, citizenship education.