With 65 percent of the global population under the age of 35, it is vital that governments, donors, civil society, schools, and communities ensure that young people are engaged in responding to crises and participating in democratic processes. However, recent global surveys by Pew, Cambridge and the Commonwealth Secretariat show worrisome trends of low youth trust in current governance models. Moreover, youth around the world are being challenged by the unprecedented strain that the pandemic is placing on their economic livelihoods and access to education—not to mention the specter of new threats to their civic and political freedoms.
To better understand these trends, the YouthPower2 Learning and Evaluation (YP2LE)1 Team conducted a survey in 2021 across ten countries to learn about youth civic engagement, with a specific focus on how concerns about economic constraints and conflict motivate civic and political action and behavior. The snapshots provide data on youth knowledge and attitudes regarding trust in government, voting, participation in civil society, and volunteering. Further, the data provide insight into whether economic or conflict/insecurity motivate youth to participate in their community and politics, a key assumption of many youth programs.
This study brief summarizes the methodology and findings.