The personal, social and political views of young people are examined using two separate multinational surveys of youth conducted in 18 countries around the world Results from the 1983 11-Nation Japanese World Survey and the 1982 Euro- Barometer 10-Nation Survey suggest that while youth (between the ages of 15/18-24) exhibit national differences, more importantly, they share many attitudinal features in common. Three themes in particular stand out characterising young people's personal lives, social attitudes and politics in the early 1980s: first, the majority of youth in these surveys are stable in their transition to adulthood; second, youth are searching for more independence in their lives, and third, young people express a surprising amount of approval for political mobilisation over contemporary political issues. These findings support both the socialisation and generational theories in political sociology.
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