Citizenship on Timeout? Mapping Youth Perceptions of ‘Good’ Citizenship in the Nexus of Migration and Social Media

Traditionally, citizenship – the attitudes and behaviour of citizens and the broader framework within which they act as citizens – referred to a sense of shared identity and participation in (national) politics. However, the antagonism present in much of the current public and elite discourses towards immigration and gradual shift to on-line politics among young people have put a strain on citizenship. Yet, its unrelenting role in democratic processes, the project argues that the addressing of citizenship is both timely and vital. This paper will examine youth perceptions of ‘good citizen/ship’ in the nexus of migration and social media in Europe, through a secondary analysis of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) 2016 survey. Specifically, the paper builds a multi-level model of ‘good’ citizenship in view of comparing individual and aggregate (country-level) attitudes to migration and use of and exposure to social media. Reflections on how young people come to develop their own conceptions of ‘good’ citizenship and then express themselves through civic and political engagement will have important messages for and can bridge the divide between researchers, practitioners, for example teachers, and politicians.