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Empowering or Simulating Participation? A Case Study on the EU’s Citizens’ Engagement Platform and Youth Political Engagement in Sweden

Oravcová, Denisa LU (2025) EUHR18 20251
European Studies
Abstract
This thesis explores whether the EU’s newly launched Citizens’ Engagement Platform (CEP) can enhance young people’s intention to participate in representative democracy and whether it reinforces or challenges the EU’s liberal demoi-cratic model. Workshops with Swedish upper secondary school students, developed and analyzed using Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior, served as the empirical basis. Findings suggest that while intention to participate in representative democracy remains stable, even short-term exposure to the CEP can enhance young people’s confidence and understanding regarding political participation overall, though shifts in attitudes and subjective norms were less consistent. Girls reported stronger social influences,... (More)
This thesis explores whether the EU’s newly launched Citizens’ Engagement Platform (CEP) can enhance young people’s intention to participate in representative democracy and whether it reinforces or challenges the EU’s liberal demoi-cratic model. Workshops with Swedish upper secondary school students, developed and analyzed using Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior, served as the empirical basis. Findings suggest that while intention to participate in representative democracy remains stable, even short-term exposure to the CEP can enhance young people’s confidence and understanding regarding political participation overall, though shifts in attitudes and subjective norms were less consistent. Girls reported stronger social influences, greater voting intentions and higher perceived importance of EU political engagement. Although students generally viewed the platform positively, its moderated format and limited impact on policy highlight a gap between EU goals for enhanced citizen participation and its liberal demoi-cratic model, which encourages engagement but ultimately mediates it, much like the limited impact of other participatory tools like the European Citizens’ Initiative. In conclusion, the CEP may increase young people’s confidence, understanding and perceived ability to engage in EU democratic processes, but ultimately offers limited opportunities for them to make a direct impact within the EU’s current democratic framework. (Less)
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author
Oravcová, Denisa LU
supervisor
organization
course
EUHR18 20251
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
youth political participation, European Union, Citizens’ Engagement Platform, Theory of Planned Behavior, EU participatory tools, demoi-cracy, European Studies, European democracy
language
English
id
9194410
date added to LUP
2025-06-10 14:42:05
date last changed
2025-06-10 14:42:05
@misc{9194410,
  abstract     = {{This thesis explores whether the EU’s newly launched Citizens’ Engagement Platform (CEP) can enhance young people’s intention to participate in representative democracy and whether it reinforces or challenges the EU’s liberal demoi-cratic model. Workshops with Swedish upper secondary school students, developed and analyzed using Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior, served as the empirical basis. Findings suggest that while intention to participate in representative democracy remains stable, even short-term exposure to the CEP can enhance young people’s confidence and understanding regarding political participation overall, though shifts in attitudes and subjective norms were less consistent. Girls reported stronger social influences, greater voting intentions and higher perceived importance of EU political engagement. Although students generally viewed the platform positively, its moderated format and limited impact on policy highlight a gap between EU goals for enhanced citizen participation and its liberal demoi-cratic model, which encourages engagement but ultimately mediates it, much like the limited impact of other participatory tools like the European Citizens’ Initiative. In conclusion, the CEP may increase young people’s confidence, understanding and perceived ability to engage in EU democratic processes, but ultimately offers limited opportunities for them to make a direct impact within the EU’s current democratic framework.}},
  author       = {{Oravcová, Denisa}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Empowering or Simulating Participation? A Case Study on the EU’s Citizens’ Engagement Platform and Youth Political Engagement in Sweden}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}