Surviving the democratic deficit : the contribution of young citizens in the 21st century

Abstract

Democracy has always been a debated concept but even more so in the 21st century when we are faced with a crisis in democracy and citizens have overlooked the democratic values and responsibilities in society. Citizens have lost faith in democratic values as they see their countries facing economic problems and high unemployment, and are influenced by what they read on the media. Citizens are turning to populist and far right movements in order to seek resolution to the problem of immigration. This paper commences with a theoretical analysis of the changes that have occurred in the definition of democracy, their effect on society in recent decades and how democracy is now in crisis. Reference is then made to a longitudinal study administered by the author in January 2019 focusing on the students’ understanding of ‘democracy’ and ‘citizenship’ in the 21st century using the same research instrument employed in 2004 to compare and contrast the progress or shortcomings related to the understanding of the concept of ‘democracy’ and ‘citizenship’ of young Maltese students attending the Junior College of the University of Malta. Keeping the findings in mind, the study proposes a number of recommendations to better prepare young Maltese citizens to face the challenges they will definitely meet throughout their life and also in defence of the value of democracy.