In an interview with the Schulblatt Kanton Zürich school magazine, our board member Monika Waldis talks about young people’s trust in institutions and politics, as well as media education and participation. She provides insights into the current research activities of the Department of Political Education and History Didactics.
Students debate their own initiatives in the National Council chamber, giving them first-hand experience of political life. This practical contribution to political education has now been recognized with an award. «SpielPolitik!» (Play Politics!), organized by the Schulen nach Bern association in cooperation with the Center for Political Education and History Didactics at the FHNW University of Teacher Education, has won this year’s Federalism Award.
On November 19, it will be that time again: students will take the seats of actual National Council members and debate their own proposals. The topics are pressing issues for the 14- and 15-year-olds themselves: «Better psychological support for young people,» «Eight weeks of vacation for students,» and «Civil service for all» are just a few examples.
The students prepare intensively for their appearance in Bern in their classes during around 15 to 20 lessons: What issues can be addressed with a popular initiative? How do you formulate a popular initiative? What are the good arguments for our cause and which arguments are not convincing? What path does a bill take and how is a political decision made? These and other questions are discussed in class in connection with the students’ own concerns.
Afterwards, four classes will meet for two days of simulation games in Bern. The students will take on the role of National Council members and participate in committee and parliamentary group meetings as well as the final debate in the National Council chamber. The role of the Federal Council will be played by an active member of parliament. For the upcoming event in November, this will be National Council President Maja Riniker.
Even though the students may lose out to their colleagues in the National Council chamber, they gain a lot from visiting «SpielPolitik!». They learn about Swiss politics at the federal level and experience the possibilities and mechanisms of national politics. They realize how important listening and objective argumentation are in a political debate and identify issues and areas of action that are directly related to their lives.
Monika Waldis, head of the Center for Political Education and History Didactics at the PH FHNW and member of the board at the Center for Democracy Studies Aarau (ZDA), sums up the benefits for students as follows:
«The simulation game provides an opportunity for a playful exchange about politics across language barriers. In Bern and in the Federal Parliament, young people work on issues that are important to them. In the debates, the students learn whether they can convince others of their ideas and what strong counterarguments there are. In addition, they gain insight into the processes and rules of politics. This strengthens their trust in democratic institutions. The game leaves a lasting impression. It stimulates both thought and emotion.»
SpielPolitik! is held five times a year, with a total of around 400 students taking part. Students from 8th or 9th grade travel from all over Switzerland, venture beyond their own region and debate the proposals in two national languages.
This commitment to political education and exchange beyond national borders will be honored with the 2025 Federalism Prize. The prize is awarded by the ch Foundation and is endowed with 10,000 Swiss francs. The ch Foundation writes:
«With the Federalism Award, the ch Foundation honors individuals and organizations (associations, etc.) whose work or projects promote federalism and internal cohesion in Switzerland. Political, civil society, scientific, and cultural engagement are all taken into account.»
The award will be presented to the organizers of «SpielPolitik!» at the National Federalism Conference in Zug on November 13, 2025.
Noemi Carrel, Projektleitung
spielleitung@schulen-nach-bern.ch
The association «Schools to Bern» was founded in 2009. It is supported by the Swiss Teachers’ Association (LCH), the Western Swiss Teachers’ Union (SER), and the Parliamentary Services. It is chaired by two National Council members, Maja Riniker and Delphine Klopfenstein Broggini. Since 2019, the project has been running under the name «SpielPolitik!» and is organized and implemented in cooperation with the Center for Political Education and History Didactics at the FHNW University of Teacher Education at the Center for Democracy Aarau (ZDA). www.schulen-nach-bern.ch
The Center for Democracy Aarau is a scientific research center supported by the University of Zurich, the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, the Canton of Aargau, and the City of Aarau. It conducts basic research and addresses current issues relating to democracy – regionally, in Switzerland and worldwide. The Center for Political Education and History Didactics at the FHNW School of Education is affiliated with the ZDA. The center develops and researches innovative approaches to political education and democracy education. www.zdaarau.ch/en/
Julia Thyroff discusses historical and political education in the podcast ‘Die Geschichtsstunde: Didaktik im Dialog’ (The History Lesson: Didactics in Dialogue). How do historical and political education relate to each other? Is historical education always political and vice versa? What does this mean for teaching? The podcast is a collaboration between the University of Kiel and the University of Hildesheim.
Are 16-year-olds ready for politics? Are they mature enough to make political decisions compared to young adults? Do they feel confident about making political decisions? How often do you keep yourself informed about political issues? A new study by the Centre for Democracy Aarau provides answers.
The debate on lowering the voting age to 16 is gaining momentum in Europe and raises important questions about the political maturity of minors. In political debates, one of the arguments put forward is that 16- and 17-year-olds are not yet mature enough to participate in political decision-making.
The study by the Centre for Democracy Aarau examines the political maturity of young Swiss citizens aged between 16 and 25. It shows that 16- and 17-year-olds are politically as mature as the comparable category of 18- to 25-year-olds. The study is based on a representative survey of 4,000 young Swiss citizens.
Study author Robin Gut interprets the results as follows: «It is interesting to see that minors aged 16 and 17 are roughly as mature as young adults. These minors are not yet eligible to vote and are therefore not yet fully socialised into our political system. Nevertheless, they are just as politically mature as young adults. The result is consistent with most international studies on the political maturity of adolescents and young adults.»
The study measures «political maturity» using two subcategories: When it comes to «political disposition», i.e. attitudes towards politics in general, the data shows that 16- and 17-year-old Swiss citizens display a similar level of political interest and political self-efficacy as young adults. They also have a similar attitude towards voting as a civic duty. In addition, the younger group has a stronger intention to participate in elections. The intention to participate in referendums is comparable to that of 18- to 25-year-olds. Regarding «political behaviour shows that 16- and 17-year-olds consume political information in the media more frequently than 24- to 25-year-olds. They are also exposed to political discussions as frequently as young adults.
| The Political Maturity of Youths and Young Adults: Empirical Evidence from Switzerland Data basis: The study is based on a representative survey on political participation among young people, which was conducted by the Centre for Democracy Aarau in spring 2023 among teenagers and young adults aged between 16 and 25 in Switzerland. The Federal Statistical Office took a random sample of 20,000 people aged between 16 and 25 from the population register. A total of around 4,000 Swiss citizens took part in the survey. The survey was financed by the Swiss UNESCO Commission and the Swiss Society for the Common Good. Methodology: For the analysis, respondents were weighted according to age, gender and language. Ordinal and binary logistic models were applied. |
Gut, R., Ezzaini, J. & Kübler, D. (2025). The Political Maturity of Youths and Young Adults: Empirical Evidence from Switzerland. Swiss Political Science Review, 00, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1111/spsr.12662
Robin Gut
robin.gut@zda.uzh.ch
076 470 87 05
The Centre for Democracy Aarau is a scientific research centre supported by the University of Zurich, the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, the Canton of Aargau and the City of Aarau. Es betreibt Grundlagenforschung und befasst sich mit aktuellen Fragen zur Demokratie – regional, in der Schweiz und weltweit. www.zdaarau.ch
The new issue of the magazine for political education, POLIS, has been published: «The machine is political. AI, democracy and education»
The rapid development of artificial intelligence has recently caused a stir and raises important questions that challenge fundamental democratic values: What are the consequences of new technological innovations for current democratic systems? And how can a democratic society, which is interested in promoting democratic principles rather than dismantling them, deal with them?
Particular attention will be paid to the role of schools in dealing with these developments. How are AI applications used in today’s schools? What facets of this development does civic education need to address? And to what extent is this relevant from a democratic perspective? Our contributions are intended to stimulate reflection and discussion.
In an interview with the Civic Education Office, Julia Thyroff talks about how civic education has been firmly established throughout Switzerland in recent years and how she sees the relationship between civic education and history lessons.