Young People's Civic Attitudes and Practices: England's outcomes from the IEA International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS)
22 November 2010
Research report available to download from DfE
Research brief available to download from DfE
ICCS is a large-scale study of pupil knowledge and understanding, dispositions and attitudes, which is administered across 38 countries worldwide. In 2006 the, then, Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF), commissioned NFER to coordinate the administration and analysis of England’s participation.
The results presented here are based upon England’s national dataset, with reference to international- and European-level findings, and to findings from the IEA Civic Education Study (CIVED), which took place in 1999.
The results show a complex picture of young people’s attitudes and understanding of their societies and their role within them. Although the vast majority expects to vote in national elections, political parties were the least trusted civic institution. The study highlights a strong relationship between civic knowledge and participation, with students with higher civic knowledge reporting greater likelihood to participate in society. The outcome of the survey in England shows interesting comparisons between English teenagers and their international and European counterparts.