Comparing Correlates of Civic Engagement Between Immigrant and Majority Youth in Belgium, Germany, and Turkey

Abstract

Drawing on data from a large-scale international project, this research examined predictors of civic engagement between immigrant (n = 599) and majority youth (n = 1,027) in Belgium, Germany, and Turkey. In all three countries immigrants were found to be more civically engaged than their majority peers. Further, based on the assumptions of the civic voluntarism model, civic engagement was predicted by resources, social experiences, and psychological engagement (i.e., internal political efficacy). The results showed that predictors differed by ethnic background. Although internal political efficacy beliefs were only found to be a significant predictor of civic engagement among majority youth, involvement in social networks was found to be a more meaningful predictor among immigrant youth. These results are discussed in terms of theoretical and practical implications.

Notes

¹ The initial sample size of majority youth in Belgium was 610. However, given the unequal sizes of groups, we drew a random subsample of about 50% (n = 328). Follow-up analyses confirmed that this reduction was not related to any of the examined variables (r_pb <.06, p > .102).

² Educational attainment is another important resource underlying civic behaviors. To have a comparable indicator across countries, the operationalization of this factor did follow an international standard classification of education. However, given the study’s wide age range (16–26), and given the fact that almost all participants were still enrolled in some kind of formal education, participants attending a higher track school might, in this study, be scored lower than older peers who were attending vocational training. We therefore primarily concentrated on parental education and financial difficulties as indicators of resources in the present study. To rule out, however, that some of the group differences might be related to young people’s educational level, the latter was included as a covariate.

³ Drawing on the CVM, we considered organizational connectedness to be an indicator of social networks. Involvement in youth organizations is considered to be a proto-political experience that fosters young people’s social integration, makes communication channels more accessible, and contributes to the acquisition of skills (Gabriel, 2004), which might eventually translate into civic behaviors.

⁴ We examined whether structural relationships differed significantly between the Belgian, German, and Turkish samples. Results showed that a multiple-group model assuming different structural paths between the countries fit the data significantly better than a more parsimonious model assuming equal relationships, Δχ²(42) = 79.87, p < .001.