CH@YOUPART, Politische Abstinenz und Präsenz von jungen Erwachsenen in der Schweiz - 2010

In the context of the CH@YOUPART project we are studying the political participation of young adults in Switzerland. We are particularly interested in the forms of political involvement that 18 to 25 year olds prefer and the frequency of these activities. Furthermore, we investigate why young Swiss are political active or why not. The goal of this project is to find out more about the situation in Switzerland as well as to learn if young adults in here differ in this respect from their peers in other European countries.

The active participation of the population in the political process is essential, especially for a direct democracy. Through this participation a range of opinions find entrance into the political process and policy decisions thereby obtain their legitimacy. The participation behavior of the young generation is thus crucial for the future of the political system in Switzerland. The aim of this project is therefore to obtain answers to two questions:

1. How do young adults participate politically in Switzerland?
2. How can the political participation of young adults be explained?

Thereby, we are equally interested in the politically active and non-active Swiss and the reasons for their respective behavior. The political participation of young Swiss has only been covered comprehensively in very few studies. The existing data, however, is outdated. Moreover, this data does not allow for comparisons of the political activities of 18 to 25 year olds in Switzerland with same age EU citizens. Both aspects have been taken into account in the development of the CH@YOUPART research design.

This project is conducted by the Swiss Centre of Competence in the Social Sciences (FORS) with the support of the State Secretariat for Education and Research of the Federal Department of Home Affairs.