The University of Bucharest announces the launch of ICCS 2022 results – International Civic and Citizenship Education Study, the largest and only dedicated study of civic and citizenship education

Thursday, February 22^nd 2024, The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement launched the online European report of the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study 2022, based on data from 18 countries, including Romania.

The ICCS (International Civic and Citizenship Education Study) is an international comparative study initiated by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, with the aim to evaluate civic and citizenship competencies of 8^th grade pupils. The 2022 European ICCS report is complementary to the international report published in November 2023, on which you can read more information here.

Using a questionnaire specially designed for European pupils, ICCS 2022 investigated their attitudes on the subject of European citizenship, perceptions regarding the future of Europe and their attitudes regarding political and social problems specific to the region (durable development, migration, discrimination etc.).

 I am happy with Romanian pupils’ trust in European cooperation and in its benefits, as well as their optimism in what concerns the future of democracy. The results of this study are an example of openness from our children and the proof of the importance that professors’ efforts have in familiarizing them with the policies and manner in which the EU functions. I hope that schools will continue to represent a space for promoting European values and democratic principles, an environment appropriate for the development of young people capable of understanding the world that they live in, affirmed Ligia Deca, the Minister of Education in Romania.

Main results

82% of Romanian pupils, compared to 75% ICCS average, declare that they learned to a great extent/medium extent about the EU at school, and 78% of professors declare they feel prepared to teach pupils about the EU, compared to 76% of professors pertaining to the other countries participating in the ICCS 2022 study.

Romanian pupils have a strong feeling of European affiliation: 97% declare themselves as European, 94% are proud that Romania is part of the EU, both percentages being higher that the 2022 ICCS average (95%, respectively 91%).

Most Romanian pupils support the freedom of movement within the EU: 96% consider that the freedom of European citizens to work anyplace in Europe is beneficial to European economy and only 30% of them, comparative to the 4% 2022 ICCS average, consider that they should to some degree limit the Europeans’ right to work in the European space.

Romanian pupils are supportive of the cooperation of European countries in protecting the environment: 94% consider that European countries should adopt common regulations in protecting the environment.

A significant percentage of Romanian pupils are critical about the costs of European institutions (62%), about the influence that wealthy countries have on European policies (70%) and about the influence of European bureaucrats (61%).

Romanian pupils have greater trust in European institutions than national institutions: 69%, respectively 68% of Romanian pupils have total and high trust in the European Commission, respectively the European Parliament, and only 44% invest the Romanian government with the same level of trust.

Romanian pupils intend on voting at European elections to a greater degree than the other countries participating at the study: 77% of them claim they will most likely vote at EU elections, in comparison to 58% the ICCS average.

Approximately half of Romanian pupils consider that terrorism, poverty, unemployment, religious intolerance, economical inequalities will become greater in Europe in the future: 76% of them consider that the economical differences between wealthy and poor countries will increase.

Most Romanian pupils are optimistic about the improvement of the cooperation between the European countries (88%), consolidating European democracy (79%), pollution reduction (62%), improving access to health services (75%) and women’s representation in politics (76%) in the future, in the European space.

In all countries participating to the study, pupils with a higher socio-economic status and those with a higher level of civic knowledge support, to a greater degree, freedom of movement in Europe, cooperation of European countries in environmental problems and adopting public policies, in comparison to students with a lower socio-economic status and a lower level of civic knowledge.

The ICCS European report has presented us with very interesting data, from the perspective of the future projection of what European citizenship means and the adherence to its fundamental values. Considering the age of those questioned, we could say we have reasons to be optimistic about the pro-European general trend, even if the trust in the institutions and processes at EU level are not always at the highest levels. In an increasingly skeptical wave, accentuated by the recent social, economic and major political challenges (the Covid 19 pandemic, the armed conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, the ascension of nationalist extremism in many European countries etc.), the young generations tell us they still have positive expectations and trust in a common project and the collaboration between the EU counties, including on themes connected to the environment and sustainability, highlighted professor Lucian Ciolan, PhD, Romanian representative in the IEA General Assembly and vice-rector for Development Projects and Lifelong Learning of the University of Bucharest.

This is Romania’s first participation in this study, under the coordination of the Educational testing Laboratory team within the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences of the University of Bucharest. Our country’s participation in the study was financed through the project FSS2022 (Allowing the participating of Romania to international comparative studies in education organized by IEA, The European Executive Agency for Education and Culture), through project ROSE (Romania Secondary Education Project, financed via a loan of 200 million euro granted to Romania through the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development) and by the Romanian American Foundation.

The European report is a lesson of maturity and trust that teenagers give us. Pupils understand citizenship beyond the community or country they live in. They see themselves as engaged citizens in a changing Europe, in a changing world. They understand democratic values, institutions, problems and their own actions in interconnected contexts, at regional and global level. They prove that they are mature by the clarity they show in regard to problems related to the environment, conflicts, migration, socio-economic disparities, the impact of poverty, unemployment. Why is it a lesson of trust? Pupils in Romania are proud of their European citizenship, by belonging in the EU and feel responsible regarding the political and social institutions and processes in the region. The answers given by Romanian pupils (75%) place our country on the first place in what regards voting intentions at European elections. I think it is the most optimistic and coherent message of support I have seen so far, in what concerns the European project, concluded professor Cătălina Ulrich Hygum, PhD, ICCS coordinator for Romania and teaching staff at the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences of the University of Bucharest.

The European report is available here, the international report is available here, details regarding the ICCS evaluation frame are available here, and here are a series of info graphics regarding the status of ICCS evaluation.