Need for global Basic Citizenship Education: International Comparison

Based on PIAAC Survey Data the subpopulation of adults with low proficiency in literacy can be described. The hypothesis, that a clear need for political involvement of adults with basic skill needs can be seen in the data, has to be confirmed by the results. Social trust is low compared to more literate adults, volunteering seems to sparsely integrate low literate adults. Their feelings of political efficacy hint at a problematic disengagement with politics. These findings are robust across countries.

Political engagement – following theory-based assumptions – correlates with an idea of and belief in the possibility of political influence and a principally fair society. Two intellectuals from political sciences, Rancière and Rosanvallon, point to massive disruptions of social cohesion. Economists like Piketty and Ostrom ask for new models of distribution which can hinder tax fleeing and improve shared use of commons.

We conclude that politically extreme choices are modern in societies that lack a belief in communality and justice. Thus, three countries come into special focus. Poland with its new government, France with their Front National who just slightly lost regional elections and Germany with survey results of more than 10 percent for the extreme right wing party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD).

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