The decline and polarisation of youth political participation across different backgrounds is weakening many Western democracies. However, Finland’s Swedish-speaking population – unlike most ethnic minorities – participates in politics systematically more actively than Finnish-speaking Finns. This participation does not develop in a vacuum, which is why Venla Hannuksela compares 15–18-year-olds from both the Finnish-speaking majority and the Swedish-speaking minority.
Hannuksela focuses particularly on young people’s belief in their own ability to understand and influence politics. This so-called political self-efficacy is one of the most important motivators for political participation, and Hannuksela’s dissertation shows that it contributes to the higher political participation of Swedish-speaking Finns.
Young people’s political development – or political socialisation – mainly takes place within families, peer groups, schools, through the media, and in social communities such as hobby groups. These actors do not need to convey literal political information to be politically significant; for example, the way a young person is treated can influence the development of political attitudes. Political socialisation can also be shaped by background factors such as minority status.
"The vulnerability caused by minority status may strengthen internal cohesion within minority groups and increase the emphasis on active citizenship. On the other hand, different minorities are in very different positions in terms of economic opportunities and state protection," Hannuksela explains.
Sense of belonging improves political discussion
Hannuksela’s findings support the idea of a strong sense of belonging among minorities: Swedish-speaking youth report stronger eelings of community and less loneliness than Finnish-speaking youth. The study also shows that these factors are linked to young people’s political self-efficacy. However, Swedish-speaking youth do not participate in civic activities more than Finnish-speaking youth, nor do they have significantly higher general trust in people.
According to the dissertation, experiences of belonging to a community are important not only for political self-efficacy but also for fostering political discussion.
"The stronger young people feel they belong to their classroom community, the more likely they are to feel that societal issues can be discussed safely and with respect for diverse opinions, " Hannuksela says.
According to Hannuksela’s results, such a discussion climate is linked to political self-efficacy and, according to previous research, to many other factors behind political participation – in other words, investing in group cohesion is also an investment in young people’s political engagement, both for majorities and minorities.
Public defence on Friday 27 June
Venla Hannuksela’s doctoral dissertation in political science, titled Political Self-Efficacy Development within a Minority: The Causes and Consequences of Political Self-Efficacy among Swedish-Speaking Finnish Adolescents, will be publicly examined at the Faculty of Management and Business at Tampere University on Friday, 27 June 2025, starting at 12:00. The venue is lecture hall D11 of the Main Building (Kalevantie 4, Tampere). The opponent will be Associate Professor Ellen Claes from KU Leuven, Belgium, and the custos will be Professor Elina Kestilä-Kekkonen from Tampere University.