Child-Centric Populations? A study of Nordic populations’ justifications for children’s participation

This study investigates Nordic populations’ culture of human rights, focusing on children as autonomous individuals with rights to be heard. Using a unique survey of representative samples of 1,000 respondents from each country, with a total of 5,073 respondents, this study operationalizes child-centrism as ‘a child being heard’ and analyses justifications for such participation. Results show that 40 percent of respondents emphasize an ethical justification — rooted in paternalistic concern but supporting child autonomy — while one-third favour moral and legal justifications. Put together, they reflect a strong majority endorsing children’s autonomy. About one-fourth adopt pragmatic-instrumentalist rationales, viewing participation as a means to help adults make better decisions or aid children’s learning, which may limit participation depending on adult needs. Iceland stands out with a higher prevalence of pragmatic justifications. Core political values align with these rationales: care-orientation links to ethical justifications, freedom-orientation to moral justifications, and order-orientation to pragmatic ones. The findings highlight a robust child-centric culture in the Nordic states, nuancing the existing research on child-centrism as primarily rooted in policy.

Human rights · Treaty · Children's Rights and Participation · Ethics and Legal Issues in Pediatric Healthcare · Romani and Gypsy Studies