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Understanding Youth Participation Across Europe pp 179–206Cite as

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Young People’s Attitudes to, and Practices of, Political Participation on the Internet: What Can We Learn from Large-Scale Qualitative Research?

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Abstract

This chapter draws on the MYPLACE qualitative interview database (n = 903) to explore whether new technologies facilitate political participation among young people in Europe. Using the MYPLACE adaptation of meta-ethnography, it was possible to compare interview data on young people’s attitudes to, and practice of, online participation in all 14 countries. The analysis revealed that, while young people may act politically on the Internet—use it for networking, gathering information and expressing opinions—more active forms of political activity are rarely reported. Opinions about the potential risks of the Internet, however, were frequently expressed. This leads to the conclusion that recent technological developments—social media—are not able to revitalise the political sphere in its traditional sense.

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  • DOI: 10.1057/978-1-137-59007-7_8
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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary

    Flórián Sipos

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  1. Flórián Sipos
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Correspondence to Flórián Sipos .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom

    Prof. Hilary Pilkington

  2. Department of Sociology, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom

    Gary Pollock

  3. Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences, Zagreb, Croatia

    Renata Franc

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Sipos, F. (2018). Young People’s Attitudes to, and Practices of, Political Participation on the Internet: What Can We Learn from Large-Scale Qualitative Research?. In: Pilkington, H., Pollock, G., Franc, R. (eds) Understanding Youth Participation Across Europe. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-59007-7_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-59007-7_8

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