Strong democratic competence does not automatically lead to strong engagement and participation

This article investigates the Norwegian ambitions for Civic and Citizenship Education and the concept of democratic competence and awareness. It presents some of the main Norwegian results from the Civic Education Study. Most Norwegian 14-year olds seem to possess an adequate democratic competence. However, they seem to lack interest, engagement and will to participate politically in the future despite this competence. The article discusses some Norwegian/Nordic findings concerning the relation between political interest, engagement and expected participation and trust in government in comparison with data from other European regions.