Differences in Conceptions of Citizenship/National Identity and Social Participation Among Youth in Italy with and Without a Migration Background

This paper examines how conceptions of citizenship and national belonging shape social participation among adolescents with and without a migration background in Italy. The analysis is based on the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) survey “Children and Adolescents: Behaviours, Attitudes and Future Plans” (2023). The sampling strategy produced a statistically representative sample of 39,214 youth aged 11–19, including both Italian and foreign citizens, with specific attention to the most numerous migrant groups. Italy represents a relevant case study, as it hosts 13.9% of all foreign minors in the EU, following Germany and France. However, this phenomenon is relatively recent. In 2001, fewer than 365,000 residents under 20 were of foreign origin, and only a minority were born in Italy. By 2020, Italian-born youth of foreign origin had risen to 1.1 million. These demographic changes have increasingly entered public debate, supported by advocacy organizations which have highlighted the need to reform Italy’s highly restrictive citizenship law. Despite growing public visibility, systematic data comparing civic and social participation of children of immigrants with that of native youth remain scarce. Against this background, the study draws on theories of political (re)socialization developed in migration research—exposure, resilience, and transferability. While exposure theory highlights the role of host-country institutions in fostering civic convergence, resilience and transferability perspectives emphasize the lasting imprint of origin-country socialization. The second generation is particularly informative, combining full institutional exposure in Italy with continued parental cultural transmission. Empirically, the analysis explores three dimensions: (1) conceptions of citizenship, including attitudes toward different access models; (2) normative and affective definitions of “being Italian”; and (3) social participation, measured through involvement in associations and organized activities. By comparing native youth and adolescents of different migrant origins, the study assesses whether more inclusive notions of Italian identity are associated with higher levels of social participation and whether this relationship varies by country of origin.