Supportive but suspicious: Ideology, institutional trust, electoral participation and gender shape public opinion on citizenship education in the UK

Abstract

Citizenship Education (CE) has been found to be an effective tool in preparing young people to participate actively in a democracy. However, recent years have seen a decline in both the quality and provision of CE, coupled with a notable absence of public input on the subject. This paper provides an initial exploration of the British public's views on citizenship education through an exploratory survey conducted with a nationally representative sample of 1003 individuals. The survey examined public perceptions of the current quality of CE, general support for the subject, and specific educational aims. Our findings indicate that while CE is generally regarded as important, its quality is perceived as lacking. Respondents highlighted critical thinking skills, as well as financial and digital literacy as the most crucial components of CE, whereas communitarian aspects of citizenship were deemed less significant. Additionally, the study found that ideology, demographic factors, and political attitudes significantly influence public views on CE. The paper concludes with a discussion of policy and research implications, emphasising the need to incorporate public perceptions in the design of citizenship education and suggesting ways that CE can be developed to support democratic engagement.