This research investigates Dutch adolescents’ views on decision making. We conducted two rounds of interviews with 40 Dutch adolescents (at age 14, repeated at 16) within two educational tracks. Because most adolescents have limited knowledge of political democracy, the starting point of the interviews was decision-making processes in day-to-day situations, after which the interviewer probed for viewpoints on the political domain. Preliminary analysis showed that all interviewees preferred to make decisions in a democratic manner, and that most expressed rather consistent preferences at ages 14 and 16. These preferences about decision making correspond to various models of democracy. More adolescents were able to formulate views about decision making at the political level at age 16 than at age 14, but this generally holds true for pre-academic students. Further analysis is directed towards a better understanding of stability and change in the adolescents’ views and variations between adolescents.
