For the study, 133 children between the ages of 8 and 12 completed a questionnaire three days before the debate and again immediately after watching it. Fransen explains: ‘We then compared the results related to political engagement. We found that topics discussed during the debate, such as poverty and education, were considered more important by children after the debate than before. We call this agenda-setting: the media plays a role in shaping what the public thinks about and how important those issues are perceived to be.’
Geert Wilders
In addition, the children rated the participating politicians more positively after the debate. Fransen says: ‘That’s not entirely unexpected, because we see the same effect in adults. Their opinions about politicians can also change after watching a debate.’ One politician who made a particularly strong impression during the debate was Geert Wilders. After watching the debate, children viewed him much more positively. ‘During the debate, he made several references to popular culture. It is possible that this influenced how children perceived him,’ Fransen notes.
‘The results show just how valuable a debate like this can be,’ Fransen explains. ‘This provides even more scientific evidence of the importance of institutions such as the Jeugdjournaal and the role they can play in helping children become engaged in society. Even in elementary school, children can already be meaningfully involved in the democratic process.’