The lasting influence of an open climate of classroom discussion on political trust: Results from a seven-year panel study among English youth

Abstract

This article investigates the impact of various educational conditions, including educational tracking, aspirations and aspects of citizenship education, on the development of political trust among English youth, and assesses whether these effects last into early adulthood. Data from the Citizenship Education Longitudinal Study show a tendency of distrust towards political institutions among English youth, with a fluctuating but overall downward trend in political trust as they grow older. Drawing on this dataset, we built hierarchical linear regression models to examine the effects of educational conditions on political trust during two major transitions experienced by English youth: from lower to upper secondary (or into work) and from upper secondary to university. As a participatory form of practicing citizenship education, open classroom climate in mid-adolescence has a positive and enduring effect on young people's political trust. The citizenship education curriculum – such as its volume and content—shows little impact, suggesting that free expression and democratic engagement in the classroom are more effective in shaping young people's political trust than simply acquiring political knowledge. Political trust is volatile during adolescence and into early adulthood, as later real-life experiences possibly lead to a more comprehensive and realistic sense of political trust.