Introduction

After Chapter 5, which dealt with literature, we return to current affairs and the values and attitudes of young people, in particular their disillusionment with politicians. A key issue is attitudes to politics. A particular focus is Édouard Balladur’s questionnaire, sent out in 1994 to all 15-25 year olds after the disastrous attempt to introduce the CIP (Contrat d’Insertion Professionnelleoffering new entrants to the job market 80 per cent of the minimum wage). We look at strategies for gathering information through interviews and questionnaires and at approaches to reporting findings.