Youth political participation: literature and policy review

A data-rich review of youth political participation and policies (1980–2023), for designing youth-inclusive programs.

This comprehensive review maps four decades (1980–2023) of academic literature and policy regarding youth political participation in democratic contexts. It examines three participation dimensions: youth in political affairs (including office-holding and policymaking), electoral participation (voting behaviors, including youth voting at 16), and civil society engagement.

The first section summarizes landmark studies on definitions, trends, enablers, and barriers — highlighting that youth participation has shifted from traditional forms (like voting) to more diverse, informal avenues. The second section chronicles four policy epochs: early UN youth-rights framing, systematic debates (2000–2015), structured policies (2015–2020), and the mainstreaming of youth participation mechanisms since 2020. This report aids program designers, policymakers, and advocates in understanding historical trends and devising evidence-based, youth-inclusive policies.

Source: Youth Democracy Cohort (WYDE Civic Engagement project, European Partnership for Democracy)
Language: English

Authors: Cristina Bacalso, Ondřej Bárta, Dr. Dan Moxon, Dr. Marko Kovavic

Year of publication: 2024