Adolescents’
beliefs about the institutions of democratic society
University
of Szeged, Department of Psychology, Hungary
Abstract:
The aims
of our study were to explore how Hungarian teenagers (17 ages) think about the
institutions of democratic society and whether they trust them.
A survey (Likert- type scale) was conducted with 649 secondary school
children born during the period of the dramatic social and political
changes in Hungary. They grew up in this new plural political system unlike
their parents who were socialized in the Communist era. The teens’ beliefs are
constructed on the bases of their parents’ experiences, as well as their own
specific ones. It was supposed that this socialization affected them in a way
that they have confused views and they do not trust democratic institution
(e.g. low - jurisdiction, politicians, voting) either. The outcomes of the
study have supported and confirmed this hypothesis. The subjects do not trust either the
democratic institutional system or its politicians. Their view is that
especially the administration of justice is unreliable. Their attitudes
towards participating in the elections are also ambivalent. To some extent the
outcomes of the study reflect the social background of the students.
Key words: attitudes, institution of democracy,
politicians, social representation