In the second study just published in the Journal of Social Studies Education Research as part of our eSAT project, we explored how well the European Youth Strategy is connecting with young people across Europe. Spoiler alert: the results were mixed – and we learned a lot about how youth perceive their European citizenship in four different countries.
Our study involved 1403 young people from Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia, aged 18-24, and took place between July and December 2023. Through workshops, festivals, and school events, we aimed to break down the complex European Youth Strategy into something that resonates with young Europeans in their everyday lives. The results, however, told a more nuanced story about how this message lands in different places.
Over the course of six months, we ran workshops and interactive sessions to introduce young people to the pillars of the European Youth Strategy: Engage, Connect, Empower, plus one additional topic – mental health and well-being, through a comic book created by young volunteers working together in international teams. These interventions were designed to help young people understand the opportunities and roles they can play in Europe, while encouraging them to see themselves as part of a broader European community. Each participant also received a copy of the eSAT comic book featuring youth-focused stories related to these pillars. After the workshops, we measured the participants’ perceptions of their European citizenship to see if our intervention had made a difference.
The results? Well, it depends on where you look.
Slovakia came out as the biggest success story, where young people reported a significant boost in their sense of European citizenship after our workshops. They felt more connected to Europe and their role in shaping its future. Romania and Hungary, on the other hand, didn’t show any major shifts. Despite the same interactive approach and effort, young people there didn’t report feeling any more European than they did before. Interestingly, in Bulgaria participants who took part in the intervention actually felt less connected to European citizenship compared to the control group. While this might sound like a setback, it actually opened our eyes to the fact that new knowledge can sometimes be overwhelming, prompting young people to reconsider their identity or feel unsure about where they stand in a more complex political landscape.
And here’s an interesting twist: gender made a difference. Females in Slovakia and Hungary responded more positively to our intervention, with a noticeable boost in European citizenship scores. Meanwhile, in Bulgaria and Romania, both males and females showed no major differences in their reactions.
So, what’s next?
Our study delved into how young people across different European countries react to the European Youth Strategy – and we’ve learned some valuable lessons. While it’s clear that a one-size-fits-all approach won’t work, there’s a lot of potential to build on the success in countries like Slovakia. We’re excited to take what we’ve learned and think more deeply about tailoring future interventions to the unique cultural and social contexts of each country. More than ever, young people need to feel engaged and empowered as European citizens, and we’re determined to find new ways to make that happen.
Want to know more about how young people view European citizenship or interested in shaping future EU youth policies? Our study offers fresh insights and practical takeaways that can help policymakers, educators, and youth organizations better understand what makes young people tick when it comes to European identity. To read the full article titled “European Youth Strategy awareness and EU participation: Evaluating the intervention impact on young people’s European citizenship in four countries“, access it for free here.
The comic book is also available digitally for free here, and you can read more about the EU Youth Strategy at: youth.europa.eu/strategy_en.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EACEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
