Relationship between young people’s citizenship behaviors and personality traits – an international perspective

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between young people’s citizenship behaviors and their basic personality traits. Three dimensions of citizenship were studied with the use of the model proposed by Zalewska and Krzywosz-Rynkiewicz: (1) passive citizenship, (2) semi-active citizenship, and (3) active citizenship with the following sub-dimensions: political, social, and personal citizenship, and action for change. The Big Five personality traits: (1) Openness to experience (2) Conscientiousness, (3) Extraversion, (4) Agreeableness, and (5) Neuroticism, were evaluated using the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO FFI) (Costa & McCrae) or the Big Five Questionnaire (BFQ44) (Capara, Barbaranelli, Borgogni, & Perugini, 1993). The surveyed sample consisted of a total of 3452 girls (N = 1786) and boys (N = 1666) aged 11 (N = 1099), 14 (N = 1192) and 17 (N = 1163) years. The respondents resided in big cities (N = 1561) and small towns (N = 1863) in 10 countries. The participants completed the Citizenship Behavior Questionnaire and a Big Five personality test (NEO FFI or BFQ44). The results revealed similar citizenship behavior patterns among young people from all surveyed countries. The respondents were most willing to engage in passive and semi-active citizenship activities, and they were least likely to become involved in political activities and activities aimed at bringing about a change. In the analyzed group of personality traits, Conscientiousness and Extraversion were the most strongly correlated with the evaluated dimensions of citizenship behavior, whereas Neuroticism was the least strongly correlated trait. Direct political citizenship was the only dimension that was not correlated with any of the personality traits and was influenced by other factorsVytauto Didžiojo universitetasŠvietimo akademij