Family Affluence, School and Neighborhood Contexts and Adolescents’ Civic Engagement: A Cross-National Study

• Published in: American journal of community psychology Vol. 50; no. 1-2; pp. 197 - 210
• Main Authors: Lenzi, Michela, Vieno, Alessio, Perkins, Douglas D., Santinello, Massimo, Elgar, Frank J., Morgan, Antony, Mazzardis, Sonia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.09.2012; Blackwell Science Ltd
• Subjects: Adolescence; Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior; Adolescents; Affluence; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Belgium; Canada; Child; Citizen Participation; Civic engagement; Clinical Psychology; Community and Environmental Psychology; Community organizations; Cultural Capital; Data Collection; England; Families & family life; Family; Family affluence; Female; Health Psychology; Humans; Italy; Male; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Neighborhood; Neighborhoods; Original Paper; Participation; Personality and Social Psychology; Politics; Psychology; Public Health; Residence Characteristics; Romania; School; School Environment; Schools; Social Behavior; Social Class; Social Responsibility; Teenagers; Youth; England; Canada; Italy; Romania; Belgium; British Isles, England; Family affluence; Adolescence; Participation; School; Civic engagement; Neighborhood
• ISSN: 0091-0562; 1573-2770; 1573-2770
• DOI: 10.1007/s10464-012-9489-7

Research on youth civic engagement focuses on individual-level predictors. We examined individual- and school-level characteristics, including family affluence, democratic school social climate and perceived neighborhood social capital, in their relation to civic engagement of 15-year-old students. Data were taken from the 2006 World Health Organization Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey. A sample of 8,077 adolescents in 10th grade from five countries (Belgium, Canada, Italy, Romania, England) were assessed. Multilevel models were analyzed for each country and across the entire sample. Results showed that family affluence, democratic school climate and perceived neighborhood social capital positively related to participation in community organizations. These links were stronger at the aggregate contextual than individual level and varied by country. Canadian youth participated most and Romanian youth least of the five countries. Gender predicted engagement in two countries (girls participate more in Canada, boys in Italy). Findings showed significant contributions of the social environment to adolescents’ engagement in their communities.