The Impact of Parliamentary Civic Education on Adolescents’ Political Attitudes: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Catalonia

What is the impact of civic education programmes on adolescents’ political engagement and political attitudes? While parliaments across Europe organise activities to familiarise young citizens with democratic institutions, little is known about their (causal) effects on political attitudes. Leveraging the large-scale educational programme of the Parliament of Catalonia, which annually engages students aged 14-16, this article presents the results of a field experiment assessing the political impact of parliamentary education programmes on adolescents in Catalonia. We implement a randomised control trial to estimate the effect of participation on political trust, interest, and the potential of political engagement. We contribute to the literature on civic education and political socialisation by providing one of the first causal estimates of parliamentary visits on young citizens’ democratic orientations.