ICCS 2022: School socialization and civic and citizenship education of 14-year-olds in international comparison

Unequal opportunities for participation and social cohesion – civic and citizenship education can do more

At the heart of the current global crises is a simmering crisis in education and society that threatens the social cohesion, solidarity and fundamental values of democracies worldwide. To counter these threats, we need politically competent, democratic citizens – and a school system that supports young people in claiming their place in society in a self-determined and responsible manner.

In this regard, the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) 2022 draws attention to the situation in schools, but also to the ability of the school system to support students in developing their role as citizens. Twenty-four education systems worldwide participated in the current study, twenty-one of them from Europe, including the two German states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein. The first part of the results will be published on November 28. A second part of the results will follow on February 22 next year.

ICCS is the only international comparative study on civic and citizenship education that, in addition to attitudes and intentions to participate, also records political knowledge and focuses on political learning and socialization processes in schools. In Germany, the study is led by Prof. Hermann Josef Abs (University of Duisburg-Essen) and Prof. Katrin Hahn-Laudenberg (University of Leipzig). Both had already participated in ICCS 2016.

The ICCS survey took place during the last stages of the coronavirus pandemic and a few weeks after the start of the Russian attack on Ukraine. It was also a time when “Fridays for Future” was still the first encounter with the climate movement for many students. The hallmarks of this period shaped the students’ responses as well as their school experiences.