Political Attitudes, Values, and Procedures in the Young Eastern European Democracies: A Case Study on the Attitudes toward Democracy of the Macedonian Students

Abstract

Having in mind that Macedonian society is still in a process of democratic transition, the discussion pertaining to the relevance and significance of democracy, as well as democratic awareness of its citizens, is one of the most contested issues in the political and academic debates in the Republic of Macedonia. The paper examines the attitudes towards democracy of the student population in the Republic of Macedonia, analyzed through the following aspects: citizen participation, citizen activism and political affiliation. The project entitled “Virtual and Real Identities in the Republic of Macedonia” - conducted by the Institute for Sociological, Political and Juridical Research in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia, served as a basis for our research. The findings suggest that the Macedonian society should pay more attention on development of democratic awareness of its young people through educational system and other institutions.