ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the methodological background of the research is presented. In the study, we are looking to answer two questions: (1) to what extent are young Europeans ready to become involved in citizenship activities and (2) is this activity related to social, economic and political context? We use the comparative quantitative methodology. Data was collected in 11 European countries from 3,796 students aged 11, 14 and 18 from big cities and small towns grouped in three sets: post-Soviet Union countries, post-Soviet satellites and post-Soviet independent states. Confirmatory Factor Analysis confirmed the citizenship model structure revealed in the pilot study. Cronbach alpha statistics results indicate that reliability of dimensions are sufficient, and the tool adaptation is justified. In data exploration, we focus here on two types of analyses: citizenship variables centred analysis shows levels of citizenship activity in specific categories of citizenship and person’s centred analysis shows distinct characteristics of people with similar types of activity. Initial analysis proved that there is similar distribution of various citizenship activities in all studied countries – young people tend to engage mostly in passive and semi-active citizenship, but they are unwilling to engage in political activity and protesting. Based on cluster analysis, we identified four groups of young people with specific configurations of the citizenship dimensions: ‘political’ and ‘apolitical activists’, ‘alienated politicians’ and ‘alienated individualists’.
