ABSTRACT
This chapter explores concepts, beliefs and values of young people, potential beneficiaries of youth programs who are most likely to be targeted by the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in recipient countries that implement youth projects, and compares them with young people from Central and Eastern European countries. It focuses on how young people think about political phenomena, about what democracy means to them, whether the younger generation is knowledgeable about politics and the democratic processes in general, and whether it is motivated to participate. The chapter examines these questions to measure youth attitudes and political and civic engagement, that was based on research on youth participation as well as inspired by the International Social Survey Program and the World Values Survey. It finds differences in citizens' evaluations of democracy between young people in post-communist countries, also in the levels of social trust, which is a cultural dimension, and also differences in the level of political and civic engagement.
