1. “LABS PILSONIS” LATVIJAS IEDZĪVOTĀJU UZTVERĒ.
- Author
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Strode, Ieva
- Abstract
The article shows Latvian citizens’ perceptions of the normative aspects of citizenship – what it means to be a “good citizen”. It is based on two consecutive surveys (Latvian population survey – at least 1000 respondents aged 18–74/75, face-to-face interviews in respondents’ places of residence, representative sample) conducted in 2011 and 2021. Respondents were asked to describe their spontaneous associations with being a good citizen. While there is a wide range of academic work on citizenship, good citizens, etc., this research does not clarify the extent to which people do or do not support existing theoretical notions of civic virtues, but rather gives a sense of what people themselves find most important in this area. The study shows that public opinion in this area is relatively stable, although there are signs that current events in society (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic) have an impact. This fact is probably due to the lack of public debate on the topic in Latvian society. There is no clear-cut answer to the question – how political or apolitical the Latvian population considers the idea of being a “good citizen”. Although it is often pointed out that good citizens must fulfill their duties to the state (respect the law, pay taxes, etc.) and have a positive attitude toward their nation (being patriotic, loyal, staying in Latvia despite economic hardship, etc., a large proportion equates being a “good citizen” with being a “good person”, emphasizing qualities such as “honest”, “hardworking”, “smart”, “creative”, “takes care of his/her health”, etc. An important characteristic of a good citizen is having a good attitude towards fellow human beings (helping, charity, respect, courtesy). Interestingly, less than 10 % emphasized traits related to the Latvian language and culture, even though knowledge of the Latvian language is one of the requirements for naturalization, and less than 5 % associate responsibility towards the environment with the duties of a good citizen, although this aspect is receiving more and more attention when talking about the characteristics of a good citizen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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