Clashing democratic values: an empirical study of the trade-off between majority rule and minority rights among Dutch adolescents

To examine the extent to which adolescents prefer majority rule or minority rights, we set up a dynamic vignette experiment among more than 2500 Dutch students (12-13 years old). The results show that adolescents in a minoritized position, in higher educational tracks, and with more political interest are more likely to prefer consensus decision-making.

The political context matters as well: adolescents weigh the sizes of the majority and minority, and the persuasiveness of arguments in their preference for a specific type of decision-making. All in all, this study suggests that Dutch adolescents already have a very nuanced and complex view of democratic decision-making.