How Adolescents in 27 Countries Understand, Support, and Practice Human Rights

TLDR

Human‑rights knowledge among adolescents underpins future support and practice of those rights. The study analyzed data from 88,000 fourteen‑year‑olds in the 1999 IEA Civic Education Study, applying hierarchical linear modeling to examine how student‑level and country‑level factors predict human‑rights knowledge and attitudes. Students in countries whose governments emphasize human rights in intergovernmental discourse, who experience democratic schooling and international engagement, and who possess greater human‑rights knowledge, exhibit stronger rights‑related attitudes and political efficacy, with significant gender differences, highlighting the importance of educators and psychologists in promoting adolescent rights understanding.

Abstract

An understanding of human rights among young people forms a foundation for future support and practice of rights. We have used data from 88,000 14‐year‐olds surveyed in the 1999 International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Civic Education Study to examine country differences in students' knowledge pertaining to human rights compared with other forms of civic knowledge, and in students' attitudes toward promoting and practicing human rights. A hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) analysis examines student‐level predictors (e.g., gender and school experiences) and country‐level predictors (e.g., history of democracy) of rights‐related knowledge and attitudes. Countries with governments that pay more attention to human rights in intergovernmental discourse (i.e., dialogue between nations and international governing bodies) have students who perform better on human rights knowledge items. Students' experiences of democracy at school and with international issues have a positive association with their knowledge of human rights. Significant gender differences also exist. Looking at rights‐related attitudes, students with more knowledge of human rights, more frequent engagement with international topics, and more open class and school climates held stronger norms supporting social movement citizenship, had more positive attitudes toward immigrants' rights, and were more politically efficacious. Implications are drawn for psychologists and educators who wish to play a role in increasing adolescents' understanding, support, and practice of human rights.