Mis toetab ja takistab noorte uussisserändajate poliitilist osalust?

Lühikokkuvõte

What supports and hinders the political participation of young new immigrants?

Abstract

The article focuses on young new migrants’ - both secondary school and university students - political participation. The paper analyses the meanings informants give to their experiences with integrating and participating in Estonian society, focussing on digital opportunities using evidence from the qualitative interviews . Estonia is a country that has been described as the ‘first digital nation’ with extensive and easy access to e-services but also characterized by limited levels of civic engagement, with discrepancies in participation rates between different groups.

New migrants are a rapidly growing group in Estonia. The informants originated or lived during childhood in Europe, the Middle East, North America or Asia. They had been in Estonia for one to five years and had open plans. The article analyzes the formation of attitudes towards the Estonian state and society as well as everyday forms of participation, such as conversations on political topics, digital participation and participation in demonstrations. The access to various e-services and transparency of the state increase trust and encourage participation, on the other hand, state regulations or hostile attitudes towards immigrants create uncertainty and mistrust. The conditions for participating are highly dependent on cultural integration into the host society and social networks in Estonia, which could be better enhanced in digital environments.