Youth and politics in the ten-year experience of the Brazilian Youth Parliament: trust, participation and political engagement of former participants

Abstract

In this article, we analyse, based on the test of two hypotheses, the impacts of the Brazilian Youth Parliament (Parlamento Jovem Brasileiro - PJB), a juvenile parliamentary simulation program of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies. The first test is aimed to examine whether the experience has influenced in political trust, and the second one to examine whether the PJB has encouraged youth political engagement and participation. This study draws on a research completed in 2014, based on a survey, using a questionnaire applied online to former participants of PJB, considering editions from 2004 to 2013 (10 events). Of the 762 former participants, 173 answered the questionnaire (22.70% of the universe studied). The conclusions confirm the two hypotheses tested empirically. Research findings show a significant increase in the level of trust and political engagement of PJB alumni, with emphasis on political party participation.

Keywords:
Youth and politics; Political trust; Youth engagement; Sociology of youth; Brazilian Youth Parliament; Chamber of Deputies; Brazil