Poll: Most Consider Parental Residence Key for Democratic Instruction
A survey by the Child Help Service found that 85% of interviewed adults strongly value the impact of the family environment on democratic education, while only 60% of their younger counterparts feel the same way. Interestingly, 73% of these adults place the primary responsibility for instilling democratic beliefs and skills on schools and preschools.
Additionally, the survey revealed a lower trust in the long-term preservation of democracy in Germany. According to the findings, only 67% of the adults surveyed trust the current generation of children and teenagers to uphold democracy in adulthood. Younger individuals were more skeptical, with only 54% believing the next generation could handle this responsibility.
Half of the adults and just over a fourth of the children and adolescents feel that the young generation is not equipped with the necessary competencies to partake in democratic processes. Meanwhile, 81% of the adults and 88% of the children and teenagers firmly believe that society's general ability to coexist respectfully and tolerate diverse viewpoints has deteriorated.
Thomas Krüger, the president of the German Child Help Service, commented on these results, saying, "Democracy is a type of society that needs to be re-learned in every generation. Its continuation is not guaranteed." Therefore, democracy education is important for society as a whole.
Regarding the lack of trust in the younger generation's ability to preserve democracy, Krüger noted, "This concerns us greatly. Research shows that children and teenagers best develop democratic attitudes when they experience democracy themselves and observe its positive effects. To make this happen, we need to create favorable conditions and develop tailored support concepts."
The Social- and Politics Research Institute Verian carried out the surveys for the Child Report 2024, gathering responses from 666 children and teenagers aged 10-17 and 1,006 adults over 18. Both groups answered the same questions.
Read also:
- Despite the survey showing that 85% of adults strongly value the impact of the family environment on democracy education in Berlin, only 60% of their younger counterparts share this view.
- The German Child Help Service, led by Thomas Krüger, is concerned about the survey's finding that only 67% of adults trust the current generation of children and teenagers to uphold democracy in adulthood.
- According to the survey, conducted by the Social- and Politics Research Institute Verian, 73% of adults place the primary responsibility for instilling democratic beliefs and skills on schools and preschools, including those in Berlin.
- In response to the survey results, Krüger emphasized the importance of democracy education in the parents' home and advocated for creating favorable conditions and developing tailored support concepts to instill democratic attitudes in children.
- The survey, entitled "Child Report 2024," gathered responses from 666 children and teenagers aged 10-17 and 1,006 adults over 18, in both Berlin and other parts of Germany.
