The Norwegian comprehensive school system is based on the principle that schools should cater to all pupils. However, a test to assess 14-year-olds’ knowledge about democracy and citizenship shows that their background has a significant impact on their attitudes and knowledge regarding these topics.

“Norwegian 14-year-olds are by no means alike, and they are certainly not a homogeneous group when it comes to questions about democracy and citizenship,” said Thomas Dahl, a professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU’s) Department of Teacher Education.

Dahl has conducted an in-depth analysis of the Norwegian data from the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study – ICCS 2022. The study measures Year 9 pupils’ knowledge, attitudes and engagement regarding democracy and citizenship.

Some 5687 pupils from 142 schools participated in the study, which is representative of Norway’s Year 9 cohort.

Dahl’s analysis of the data revealed that the pupils fell into four distinct profile categories based on their attitudes and values. The pupil profiles show marked differences in their views and knowledge regarding democracy and citizenship. He identified the four profiles in every school and in all classes – in both urban and rural areas.

“This is a characteristic of Norwegian adolescents that reflects the structure of society. Pupils’ value systems are largely formed outside of school, such as at home and in social settings,” explained Dahl.

The pupils within the groups share a number of characteristics such as similar socioeconomic backgrounds, similar expectations regarding their education, similar religious beliefs, similar views on various ethnic groups and equality, and similar attitudes toward the political system.

Interestingly, Dahl found that immigrant background did not play a role in determining how pupils were distributed among the groups.

“The results of the study suggest that the current school system is best suited to the pupil profile in Group 1, who generally got the highest scores on the knowledge test, on average,” said Dahl.

Otherwise, this group of pupils does not stand out in any particular way – it consists of a slight majority of girls and generally has a positive attitude towards democracy and citizenship.

“The four pupil profiles, along with their results on the knowledge test, show that schools are failing to create a community that includes all pupils and to instil fundamental democratic values in everyone,” asserted Dahl.

Examples of fundamental democratic values include freedom, justice, tolerance, equality and solidarity.

So, what happened to the principle behind comprehensive schools – the idea that school should bring the entire population together? According to Article 109 of the Constitution of Norway, education shall safeguard the individual’s abilities and needs, and promote respect for democracy, the rule of law and human rights.

“Currently, we do not have a comprehensive school system that offers equal opportunities for all pupils. Teachers need a better understanding of how factors outside of school affect pupils’ everyday lives and learning,” said Dahl.

He calls for a school system that has a better understanding of how to engage with and support the group of pupils who are indifferent to school, democratic issues and global challenges.

The infographic also shows that the pupil groups that are most polarized are the two dominated by boys – groups 2 and 3. The pupils in these groups have differing views on virtually all the areas included in the study. They have different ideas about their future education and come from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

These two groups of pupils also have different views on environmental conservation, global engagement and wanting to contribute to democracy. The two groups scored very differently on the knowledge test.

While one group is conservative and primarily concerned with its own local community, the other group is more interested in global issues and supports gender equality.

“Gender differences and similarities are found across all the groups. So being a boy or a girl does not determine your values and attitudes, but which group you belong to does,” explained Dahl.

The International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) is an international educational study in which approximately 30 countries participate.
Dahl’s article was published in 2025 in the book ‘Unge medborgere i en ny tid’ [Young citizens in a new era]. The results of ICCS 2022 were published in 2023.

NTNU is the national coordinator for the ICCS. The next study will be conducted in 2027 and the results will be presented in 2028.