A dedicated “In-Depth Interviews” POSTGEN work package will produce in-depth interviews with young people to explore the meanings they attribute to their political reference points (in particular left and right, progressive and conservative).
An innovative trait of the WP will be in tracing back young people’s beliefs to their political biography, with special attention to political socialization (Zuckerman/Dasovic/Fitzgerald 2007). This requires participants to have had the possibility of acquiring some political experience, resulting in a target population between 25 and 35.
The WP will use semi-structured interviews, combining a predetermined set of open questions with a focus on specific themes.
A tentative list of topics ranges from political socialization to participative profile (in formal and non-formal political environments), electoral career (party choice and non-voting motivations), structure of political attitudes, conceptualization of the political space, meanings and relevance of ideological references, representation of political and social conflicts, perception of adult society, generational relationships and prevailing rhetoric on young people’s role in the public domain.