Inequality, Civic Education and Intended Future Civic Engagement: An Examination of Research in Western Democracies

Abstract

All educational systems socialize young people to become active members of their society. Schools are expected to teach “active citizenship,” “civics” or “social education.” The context of this type of socialization may however differ. Differences in individual resources, institutional and/or contextual settings are at the core of social inequalities. Existing research suggests that patterns of social inequality influence the outcomes of civic education. Research has also begun to report the consequences of inequalities for civic engagement. The effects of social inequality are visible in a gap between more and less civically engaged pupils that is already present at secondary school age. The unequal civic engagement in adolescence tends to linger until adult age. The inability of these civically disadvantaged groups to actively voice their concerns questions the legitimacy and stability of democratic systems that aim to be representative and responsive. This chapter reviews recent scholarship linking forms of academic and social inequality, unequal civic outcomes, and civic education for secondary school students in Western societies. Implications for future research and challenges ahead are also identified.