Political Literacy and Social Inequalities Among Young People: Evidence from an Outermost Region
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59072/rper.vi76.883Keywords:
political literacy, youth, civic and political participation, social inequalities, azoresAbstract
This article analyses the political literacy of young people in the Azores, aged between 12 and 30, based on an empirical study conducted in this outermost region of Portugal. It aims to contribute to the debate on youth political literacy in peripheral and insular contexts, which remains largely overlooked in national and European surveys. Drawing on a measure of political literacy based on factual knowledge of key political actors and democratic institutions, a Political Literacy Index was constructed using a representative sample of Azorean youth. The findings reveal marked inequalities in political literacy associated with social class, educational attainment, and age, as well as differences in the type and intensity of political participation, mediated by levels of political literacy. By showing that political literacy operates as a socially differentiated form of civic capital, the article advances sociological debates on social inequalities and democratic participation in insular contexts.
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