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

This file encompasses a sub-set of the data that is collected as part of the Dutch Adolescents Panel on Democratic Values (DAPDV; Adolescentenpanel Democratische Kernwaarden en Schoolloopbanen (ADKS)). 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.