Is Citizenship Education failing to deliver?

The Crick Report identified three components: social and moral responsibility; community involvement and political literacy. It argued that democratic societies require citizens who are “informed, active and responsible.”

What is good citizenship?

According to Crick to be responsible citizens pupils need knowledge and understanding of the political system including Parliament, local authorities and the devolved institutions. This understanding and knowledge is what constitutes political literacy.

The report also emphasised the importance of participation through school councils, mock elections and community projects.  The report advocated volunteering, campaigning and participation in local decision-making.

Does good citizenship matter?

Back in 1998 the authors of the Crick Report asserted that the spread of good citizenship education would improve the strength of democracy; improve social cohesion and widen and deepen the skills of those who benefited from it. But on the absolutely crucial barometer of actually turning up to a polling station or signing up for a postal vote the age group targeted by citizenship education have successfully resisted its blandishments.

Could do better….a lot better

The impact of Crick thirty years later indicates that individuals aged 18 to 24 are the group least likely to vote.  Turnout in general elections has declined from 76.2% in 1965 to 38.2% in 2010 in this age group, twelve years after the publication of Crick.

It would seem that even if the secondary aims of citizenship education relating to skills and community engagement are more successful, on the crucial primary criteria of electoral participation has been one of abject failure.  Not only has the slide in participation not been slowed down it has actually deteriorated.

Europe and Scotland votes – the same story

Even in the seismic Brexit referendum just 64% of 18 to 24 year olds voted compared to 90% of the over sixty fives. In the 2014 Scottish In-independence referendum, according to ICM’s survey, 75% of 16 and 17 year olds voted, compared with 54% of 18-24 year olds and 72% of 25-34 year olds. The turnout in all three groups was markedly lower than the estimate for 35-54 year olds (85%) and those aged 55 and over (92%).

So it would seem that the ambitious tone and wording of the 1998 Crick Report what could be behind its failure to apparently deliver enough good citizens that are sufficiently interested to bother to vote?

Implementation and assessment issues

Some have argued that the quality and delivery in many schools of citizenship education has varied very widely.  Some schools it has been argued have given insufficient emphasis to it and that a lack of teaching expertise and training has limited its impact.  It has also been suggested that the difficulty of assessing many of the soft skills involved with citizenship education has meant it hasn’t received the treatment and attention it deserves.

Digital Doubts

A major factor that Crick touched on was the rise of the internet. Not unreasonably then no-one could have predicted in 1998, the impact that social media and on-line information would have. As we have seen the positives of the digital revolution have been immense but the negatives of misinformation, echo chambers and radicalisation have had far reaching and damaging consequences.

Political Literacy

The Association for Citizenship Teaching has produced research showing substantial ignorance on the part of respondents regarding basic knowledge and understanding of the UK’s political and legal system underlining citizenship education’s poor track record.

Latest Developments

The Department for Education has confirmed that Citizenship will be strengthened in the national curriculum in England following the publication of the Curriculum and Assessment Review.

This includes making Citizenship compulsory in primary for the first time and strengthening the subject throughout secondary. Primary pupils will now be taught early foundations in democracy, law and rights, media literacy, financial literacy, and climate education, including teaching on how to recognise false and misleading information online.

Research and electoral data shows that citizenship education has performed poorly over the last three decades certainly in relation to voter engagement and turnout and room for improvement it would seem remains.

Ultimately, the story of citizenship education since the Crick Report is one of high ideals but limited impact. The renewed emphasis on citizenship in the curriculum offers an opportunity to address past shortcomings, but schools must be equipped with skilled teachers, meaningful assessment frameworks, and resources that engage young people in real civic participation. Only then can the promise of citizenship education ensure that the next generation not only understands democracy but chooses to participate in it.