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A Voice, but not a Vote: A Youth Generation at Risk?
Author(s) -
Borge Julie Ane Ødegaard,
Mochmann Ingvill C.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
children and society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.538
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1099-0860
pISSN - 0951-0605
DOI - 10.1111/chso.12332
Subject(s) - norwegian , politics , vulnerability (computing) , empowerment , democracy , youth empowerment , perception , youth participation , space (punctuation) , sociology , qualitative research , political science , public relations , psychology , social science , philosophy , linguistics , computer security , neuroscience , computer science , law
The aim of this paper is to address risks young people in the late 20th and 21st century are exposed to with regard to political participation. Based on qualitative data and ordinary language interviews with 27 Norwegian pupils in upper secondary school, we address how the construction of the political space is understood by young people themselves. By analysing how young people define political interest and engagement, the findings indicate that a gap exists in the perception of ‘own’ and ‘institutionalised’ political participation. This paper concludes that exploring the understanding of politics among the young may reduce vulnerability of this particular group in their democratic participation as well as facilitate their political empowerment.