Apathy or Exclusion? Unfolding Constructions of Citizenship

This article unfolds constructions of citizenship by directly examining young people's views and experiences in order to confirm or reject the "Youth Apathy Thesis". Eight semi-structured interviews were conducted and seven overarching themes emerged from a detailed thematic analysis of the interview texts. The themes discussed are The Meaning of Citizenship, Social Change: Shaping the Experience of Citizenship, Young People as Autonomous Global Citizens, Motivating Citizenship, Barriers Facing Young People, Automatic Citizenship is Problematic, Inspire a Generation: Young People Promoting a Culture of Citizenship. The data suggests a rejection of the "Youth Apathy Thesis".