| Summary: | peer reviewed Since 1990, several colleagues and I have had the opportunity to distribute surveys in Quebec, France and Belgium on youth participation and political interests. This data constitutes a rare source of information for analysing the political attitudes of 16-18 years old. Last winter, we have distributed the same survey to the student population in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador (429 high school students). In particular, participation in more than 12 movements and associations was compared with similar data collected in Quebec City in 1998. Interestingly, the same proportion of students participate in one association or another (more than two-thirds) However, it is important to go beyond the usual snapshots provided by sociological indicators to understand such behaviour. Stressing internal differences within groups is essential and cluster analysis (particularly hierarchical cluster analysis) is a perfect tool for this. With a more precise image of the various forms of participation, and with the different attitudes about involvement attached to them, several distinct discourses might be differently qualified youth participation. Moreover, the understanding of political socialization processes could also be questioned. This task, indeed, is crucial to assess and critique existing opinions about youth participation in politics. Depuis 1990, nous avons eu l’occasion de distribuer avec plusieurs collègues des questionnaires au Québec, en France et en Belgique sur la participation et l’intérêt politique des jeunes. Ces données constituent une rare source d’informations pour analyser les attitudes politiques des 16-18 ans. L’hiver dernier, nous avons distribué le même questionnaire à des élèves de Saint-Jean de Terre-Neuve (429 élèves). La participation à plus de 12 mouvements ou associations a ainsi été comparée aux données recueillies à Québec en 1998 : il est intéressant de constater que la même proportion d’élèves participaient à l’une ou l’autre des associations proposées (plus des deux ...
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