Motivacija srednjoškolske populacije za e-sudjelovanjem u javnoj raspravi o donošenju zakona

Previous research on adult citizens of the Republic of Croatia has shown that public awareness of opportunities to participate in e-consultations, particularly within the legislative process, remains limited. Although information and communication technologies have developed rapidly, insufficient public familiarity with e-consul tation mechanisms continues to represent a significant obstacle to participation. Recent studies have not sufficiently examined the factors influencing high school students’ willingness to engage in e-consultation processes. Accordingly, this paper analyses institutional indicators of public consultation implementation and exami nes the factors shaping high school students’ readiness to participate in e-consul tations during legislative procedures in Croatia. The research was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, official reports of the Government of the Republic of Croatia on public consultations conducted between 2015 and 2022, as well as reports of the Information Commissioner concering the implementation of the Right of Access to Information Act, were analysed. The findings indicate that although the number of consultations increased during the observed period, the number of par ticipants declined, with most consultations lasting fewer than 30 days. Despite high level of digital connectivity and the growing use of information and communicati on technologies, civic participation in e-consultations has not increased accordin gly. In the second phase, a survey was conducted among 239 high school students from Primorje-Gorski Kotar and Zadar counties during May and June 2024. The study examined the influence of parents’ formal education, digital literacy, civic education and, student motivation on young people’s willingness to participate in e-consultations. Data were analysed using the chi-square test, logistic regression, and independent samples t-tests. The results show that parents’ formal education si gnificantly influences students’ decisions to participate in e-consultations, whereas digital literacy does not have a statistically significant effect. The most influential factor was civic education, which significantly increases students’ motivation to participate. Although high levels of motivation were observed among students, no statistically significant relationship was identified between motivation and actual intention to participate. The findings thus suggest that institutional and technological preconditions for participation already exist, while the principal barriers are educational and relate to participants’ trust in the process and institutional system. In this context, civic and media literacy, developed through formal education, emerge as crucial factors for strenghtening active citizenship and increasing youth participation in e-democracy processes

Croatian · Legislation · E-Government and Public Services · Education, Law, and Society · Environmental Science and Water Management