Democracy cannot survive when democratic values are insufficiently supported by the population. In recent years, the development of democratic values among adolescents has received significant attention from politics and academia. The Dutch House of Representatives and the government have explicitly expressed their support for strengthening democratic citizenship among young people, for example through the coalition agreement. Academics find considerable inequalities in democratic values among adults with different educational backgrounds.
Both politicians and academics recognise a substantial knowledge gap regarding the development of democratic values among young people. Such knowledge is crucial for researchers to monitor the state of democracy and understand the political socialisation of adolescents. Policymakers and school boards can use this knowledge to formulate targeted policies and effectively address any issues that may arise.
Therefore, policymakers and academics have united their efforts. The Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (MinBZK), ProDemos: House for Democracy and the Rule of Law, the Netherlands Institute for Social Research (SCP), and the University of Amsterdam (UvA) are collaborating to map out the development of democratic values among young people.
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