Abstract
In recent years Youth Civic Engagement (YCE) has received increased attention constituting an important impetus for its research, particularly during the last decade since young people have been taking up a crucial role in the future of democratic societies and are now considered to be important contributors to their development. However, there is a gap in the literature concerning their motivation toward society engagement. In the current research, a quantitative methodology based on a questionnaire administered by email to 370 university students aged between 18 and 24 years was used to answer the following research questions: (1) What are the motivations for YCE? (2) What demographic factors affect YCE? and (3) What impact does YCE have on social and academic performance?. The results indicate that students reported mainly expressive motivations related to self-interest, namely social recognition, self-realization and personal development. Our findings also suggest that YCE only influences social performance positively, expressive motivations being the predictors with the greatest weight, followed by young engagement and civic participation. Finally, the outcome of the analysis also reveals that parents’ educational qualifications affect civic participation.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Albanesi, C., Cicognani, E., & Zani, B. (2007). Sense of community, civic engagement and social well-being in Italian adolescents. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 17(5), 387–406. https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.903.
Allen, L., & Bang, H. J. (2015). Ecological contexts and youth civic and political engagement in Paris, France. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 39, 34–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2015.04.010.
Al-Mutairi, A. (2011). Factors affecting business students’ performance in Arab Open University: the case of Kuwait. International Journal of Business and Management, 6(5), 146–155. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijbm.v6n5p146.
Ballard, P. J. (2014). What motivates youth civic involvement? Journal of Adolescent Research, 29(4), 439–463. https://doi.org/10.1177/0743558413520224.
Ballard, P. J., Malin, H., Porter, T. J., Colby, A., & Damon, W. (2015). Motivations for civic participation among diverse youth: more similarities than differences. Research in Human Development, 12(1–2), 63–83. https://doi.org/10.1080/15427609.2015.1010348.
Ballard, P. J., Hoyt, L. T., & Pachucki, M. C. (2019). Impacts of adolescent and young adult civic engagement on health and socioeconomic status in adulthood. Child Development, 90(4), 1138–1154. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12998.
Barrett, M., & Zani, B. (2014). Political and civic engagement multidisciplinary perspectives. London: Routledge.
Berger, B. (2009). Political theory, political science and the end of civic engagement. Perspectives on Politics, 7(2), 335–350. https://doi.org/10.1017/S153759270909080X.
Bobek, D., Zaff, J., Li, Y., & Lerner, R. M. (2009). Cognitive, emotional, and behavioral components of civic action: towards an integrated measure of civic engagement. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 30(5), 615–627. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2009.07.005.
Bussell, H., & Forbes, D. (2002). Understanding the volunteer market: the what, where, who and why of volunteering. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 7(3), 244–257. https://doi.org/10.1002/nvsm.183.
Cavell, T. A. (1990). Social adjustment, social performance, and social skills: a tri-component model of social competence. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 19(2), 111–122. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15374424jccp1902_2.
Checkoway, B., & Aldana, A. (2013). Four forms of youth civic engagement for diverse democracy. Children and Youth Services Review, 35(11), 1894–1899. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2013.09.005.
Checkoway, B., & Gutierrez, L. (2006). Youth participation and community change. Journal of Community Practice, 14(1–2), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1300/J125v14n01_01.
Cheung, F. Y., Tang, C. S., & Yan, E. C. (2006). A study of older Chinese in Hong Kong Francis. Journal of Social Service Research, 32(4), 193–209. https://doi.org/10.1300/J079v32n04_11.
Cicognani, E., Pirini, C., Keyes, C., Joshanloo, M., Rostami, R., & Nosratabadi, M. (2008). Social participation, sense of community and social well being: a study on American, Italian and Iranian University students. Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, 89(1), 97–112. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-007-9222-3.
Cicognani, E., Mazzoni, D., Albanesi, C., & Zani, B. (2015). Sense of community and empowerment among young people: understanding pathways from civic participation to social well-being. Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 26(1), 24–44. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-014-9481-y.
Cruce, T. M., & Moore, J. V. (2007). First-year students’ plans to volunteer: an examination of the predictors of community service participation. Journal of College Student Development, 48(6), 655–673. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2007.0063.
de Zúñiga, H. G., & Valenzuela, S. (2011). The mediating path to a stronger citizenship: online and offline networks, weak ties, and civic engagement. Communication Research, 38(3), 397–421. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650210384984.
de Zúñiga, H. G., Jung, N., & Valenzuela, S. (2012). Social media use for news and individuals’ social capital, civic engagement and political participation. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 17(3), 319–336. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2012.01574.x.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2008). Facilitating optimal motivation and psychological well-being across life’s domains. Canadian Psychology, 49(1), 14–23. https://doi.org/10.1037/0708-5591.49.1.14.
di Gennaro, C., & Dutton, W. (2006). The internet and the public: online and offline political participation in the United Kingdom. Parliamentary Affairs, 59(2), 299–313. https://doi.org/10.1093/pa/gsl004.
Duggal, M., & Mehta, P. (2015). Antecedents to academic performance of college students: an empirical investigation. Paradigm, 19(2), 197–211. https://doi.org/10.1177/0971890715609992.
Duke, N. N., Skay, C. L., Pettingell, S. L., & Borowsky, I. W. (2009). From adolescent connections to social capital: predictors of civic engagement in young adulthood. Journal of Adolescent Health, 44(2), 161–168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2008.07.007.
Eckstein, K., Jugert, P., Noack, P., Born, M., & Sener, T. (2015). Comparing correlates of civic engagement between immigrant and majority youth in Belgium, Germany, and Turkey. Research in Human Development, 12(1–2), 44–62. https://doi.org/10.1080/15427609.2015.1010346.
Erdem, C., Şentürk, İ., & Kaan Arslan, C. (2007). Factors affecting grade point average of university students. The Empirical Economics Letters, 6(5), 359–368. Retrieved from http://www.eel.my100megs.com/
Flanagan, C., & Levine, P. (2010). Civic engagement and the transition to adulthood. The Future of Children, 20(1), 159–179. https://doi.org/10.1353/foc.0.0043.
Frisch, M. B., & Gerrard, M. (1981). Natural helping systems: a survey of red cross volunteers. American Journal of Community Psychology, 9(5), 567–579. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00896477.
Gatignon-Turnau, A.-L., & Mignonac, K. (2014). (Mis)using employee volunteering for public relations: Implications for corporate volunteers’ organizational commitment. Journal of Business Research., 68(1), 7–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2014.05.013.
Hair, J., Black, W., Babin, B., & Anderson, R. (2009). Multivariate data analysys (7th ed.) Pearson.
Hassan, L. (2017). Governments should play games: towards a framework for the gamification of civic engagement platforms. Simulation & Gaming, 48(2), 249–267. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046878116683581.
Head, B. W. (2011). Why not ask them? Mapping and promoting youth participation. Children and Youth Services Review, 33(4), 541–547. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2010.05.015.
Henderson, K. A. (1981). Motivations and perceptions of volunteerism as a leisure activity. Journal of Leisure Research, 13(3), 208–218. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222216.1981.11969484.
Henderson, A., Brown, S. D., Pancer, S. M., & Ellis-Hale, K. (2007). Mandated community service in high school and subsequent civic engagement: the case of the “double cohort” in Ontario, Canada. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 36(7), 849–860. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-007-9207-1.
Horton-Smith, D. (1981). Altruism, volunteers and volunteerism. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 10(1), 21–36. https://doi.org/10.1177/089976408101000105.
Kirschner, P. A., & Karpinski, A. C. (2010). Facebook® and academic performance. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(6), 1237–1245. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2010.03.024.
Lanero, A., Vázquez, J. L., & Gutiérrez, P. (2017). Young adult propensity to join voluntary associations: the role of civic engagement and motivations. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 46(5), 1006–1029. https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764017703706.
Larson, J. J., Whitton, S. W., Hauser, S. T., & Allen, J. P. (2007). Being close and being social: peer ratings of distinct aspects of young adult social competence. Journal of Personality Assessment, 89(2), 136–148. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223890701468501.
Lee, N.-J., Shah, D. V., & McLeod, J. M. (2012). Processes of political socialization: a communication mediation approach to youth civic engagement. Communication Research, 40(5), 669–697. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650212436712.
Levine, P. (2011). What do we know about civic engagement? Liberal Education, 97(2), 12–19.
Levinson, M. (2007). The civic achievement gap. CIRCLE Working Paper, 51(January), 2–14. https://doi.org/10.1029/91JD03139.
Ludden, A. B. (2011). Engagement in school and community civic activities among rural adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 40(9), 1254–1270. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-010-9536-3.
Malecki, C. K., & Demaray, M. K. (2006). Social support as a buffer in the relationship between socioeconomic status and academic performance. School Psychology Quarterly, 21(4), 375–395. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0084129.
Malin, H., Tirri, K., & Liauw, I. (2015). Adolescent moral motivations for civic engagement: clues to the political gender gap? Journal of Moral Education, 44(1), 34–50. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057240.2015.1014324.
Manganelli, S., Lucidi, F., & Alivernini, F. (2015). Italian adolescents’ civic engagement and open classroom climate: the mediating role of self-efficacy. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 41(Supplement C), 8–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2015.07.001.
Marôco, J. (2003). Análise estatística com utilização do SPSS. 2a Ed. Lisboa: Edições Sílabo
Marôco, J. (2007). Análise Estatística - Com utilização do SPSS (3.ª ed.). Lisboa: Edições Sílabo.
Marta, E., & Pozzi, M. (2008). Young people and volunteerism: a model of sustained volunteerism during the transition to adulthood. Journal of Adult Development, 15(1), 35–46. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-007-9033-4.
Meriac, J. P. (2012). Work ethic and academic performance: predicting citizenship and counterproductive behavior. Learning and Individual Differences, 22(4), 549–553. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2012.03.015.
Morgeson, F. P., Reider, M. H., & Campion, M. A. (2005). Selecting individuals in team settings: the importance of social skills, personality characteristics, and teamwork knowledge. Personnel Psychology, 58(3), 583–611. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2005.655.x.
Musick, M., & Wilson, J. (2008). Volunteers - A Social Profile (1st ed.). Bloomington: Indiana University Press 601 North Morton Stree.
National Survey of Student Engagement. (2019). About NSSE. Retrieved from https://nsse.indiana.edu/html/about.cfm. Accessed 20 July 2019
Obradović, J., & Masten, A. S. (2007). Developmental antecedents of young adult civic engagement. Applied Developmental Science, 11(1), 2–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888690709336720.
Pearce, J. L. (1993). Volunteers - the organizational behavior of unpaid workers. London and New York: Routledge.
Phillips, M. (1982). Motivation and expectation in successful volunteerism. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 11(2–3), 118–125. https://doi.org/10.1177/089976408201100213.
Purdy, S. J. (2017). Internet use and civic engagement: a structural equation approach. Computers in Human Behavior, 71, 318–326. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.02.011.
Ribeiro, N., Malafaia, C., Fernandes-Jesus, M., Neves, T., & Menezes, I. (2014). Europe as a Beacon of democracy? Citizenship policies relating to youth and migrants in Portugal. Journal of Civil Society, 10(1), 51–68. https://doi.org/10.1080/17448689.2014.895605.
Richards-Schuster, K., & Pritzker, S. (2015). Strengthening youth participation in civic engagement: Applying the convention on the rights of the child to social work practice. Children and Youth Services Review, 57(Supplement C), 90–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2015.07.013.
Rienties, B., Beausaert, S., Grohnert, T., Niemantsverdriet, S., & Kommers, P. (2012). Understanding academic performance of international students: the role of ethnicity, academic and social integration. Higher Education, 63(6), 685–700. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-011-9468-1.
Riggio, R. E. (2010). Before emotional intelligence: research on nonverbal, emotional, and social competences. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 3(2), 178–182. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1754-9434.2010.01221.x.
Sepulveda, L. (2014). Social Enterprise - a new phenomenon in the field of economic and social welfare? Social Policy & Administration, (June), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1111/spol.12106.
Shaw, A., Brady, B., McGrath, B., Brennan, M. A., & Dolan, P. (2014). Understanding youth civic engagement: debates, discourses, and lessons from practice. Community Development, 45(4), 300–316. https://doi.org/10.1080/15575330.2014.931447.
Shechtman, Z., & Silektor, A. (2012). Social competencies and difficulties of gifted children compared to nongifted peers. Roeper Review, 34(1), 63–72. https://doi.org/10.1080/02783193.2012.627555.
Sherrod, L. R., Flanagan, C., & Youniss, J. (2002). Dimensions of citizenship and opportunities for youth development: the what, why, when, where, and who of citizenship development. Applied Developmental Science, 6(4), 264–272. https://doi.org/10.1207/S1532480XADS0604_14.
Taylor, L. K., Townsend, D., Merrilees, C. E., Goeke-Morey, M. C., Shirlow, P., & Cummings, E. M. (2017). Adolescent civic engagement and perceived political conflict: the role of family cohesion. Youth & Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X17697236.
Theocharis, Y., Vitoratou, S., & Sajuria, J. (2017). Civil Society in times of crisis: understanding collective action dynamics in digitally-enabled volunteer networks. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 22(5), 248–265. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcc4.12194.
Ubaka, C. M., Sansgiry, S. S., & Ukwe, C. V. (2015). Cognitive determinants of academic performance in Nigerian pharmacy schools. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 79(7), 101. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe797101.
United Nations (2016). Youth. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/youth-0/index.html. Accessed 20 July 2019
Universidade do Porto (2016). Princípios de Enquadramento do Voluntariado da Universidade do Porto. Despacho no GR.08/11/2016.
Vázquez, J., Lanero, A., Gutiérrez, P., & García, M. (2015). Expressive and instrumental motivations explaining youth participation in non-profit voluntary associations : an application in Spain. International Review on Public and NonProfit Marketing, 12(3), 237–251. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12208-015-0128-5.
Vissers, S., & Stolle, D. (2014). The internet and new modes of political participation: online versus offline participation. Information, Communication & Society, 17(8), 937–955. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2013.867356.
Voight, A., & Torney-Purta, J. (2013). A typology of youth civic engagement in urban middle schools. Applied Developmental Science, 17(4), 198–212. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2013.836041.
Warren, A. M., Sulaiman, A., & Jaafar, N. I. (2014). Facebook: the enabler of online civic engagement for activists. Computers in Human Behavior, 32(March), 284–289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2013.12.017.
Webb, L. D., Brigman, G. A., & Campbell, C. (2005). Linking school counselors and student success: A replication of the student success skills approach targeting the academic and social competence of students. Professional School Counseling, 8(5), 407–413 Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/42732482. Accessed 20 July 2019
Wray-Lake, L., DeHaan, C., Shubert, J., & Ryan, R. (2019). Examining links from civic engagement to daily well-being from a self-determination theory perspective. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 14(2), 166–177. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2017.1388432.
Zaff, J. F., Malanchuk, O., & Eccles, J. S. (2008). Predicting positive citizenship from adolescence to young adulthood: the effects of a civic context. Applied Developmental Science, 12(8), 38–53. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888690801910567.
Acknowledgements
This work is financed by national funding through the FCT Foundation for Science and Technology - Project UID/GES/04630/2020.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher’s note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fernandes, A., Proença, T., Ferreira, M.R. et al. Does youth civic engagement enhance social and academic performance?. Int Rev Public Nonprofit Mark 18, 273–293 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12208-020-00272-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12208-020-00272-1