Youth, Citizenship and Affective Polarization: Trust, Digital Politics and Democratic Quality

How are younger generations experiencing and reshaping political polarization in contemporary democracies? What happens to democratic quality when partisan, ideological, cultural and social identities increasingly structure how citizens perceive political opponents, institutions and public debate? And under what conditions can these dynamics be mitigated? This panel invites comparative, theoretical and empirical contributions on the relationships among youth, affective polarization, political socialization, trust and the quality of democracy. It starts from the premise that younger citizens are not simply passive recipients of polarized politics. They encounter, interpret, reproduce and contest political narratives across interconnected online and offline spaces, while forming political identities and repertoires of participation with potentially lasting consequences for democratic life. The panel is particularly interested in how affective and other forms of polarization interact with social and institutional trust; how political identities are constructed around parties, leaders, movements, issues or negative attachments; and how social media, digital platforms and political communication shape polarization and political behavior. Contributions may explore effects on dimensions of democratic quality such as political participation, equality of voice, tolerance of opposition, institutional legitimacy, responsiveness and willingness to engage across political divides. We also welcome studies connecting political attitudes to everyday behavior, including social distancing, discrimination, cross-group interaction, support for democratic norms and acceptance of anti-democratic practices. A further focus concerns responses to polarization. Contributions may examine deliberative forums, civic education, intergroup contact, digital interventions and other mechanisms intended to foster democratic engagement, rebuild trust or reduce affective hostility, as well as their limits and unintended consequences. The panel encourages work from the Global South, cross-national and transnational research. Quantitative, qualitative, experimental, computational, participatory and mixed-method approaches are welcome. By bringing these perspectives together, the panel seeks to advance a context-sensitive understanding of how polarization among younger generations shapes democratic experience, resilience and the quality of democracy.