Youth, School And Rights: How Do They Relate To Public Happiness?

Abstract

This research investigates the relationships between youth, citizenship, civic culture, and public happiness through a longitudinal study (2004–2023) with high school students from public and private schools in three regions of Rio de Janeiro, using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The school was chosen as the central site of observation because it is, at the same time, a symbolic and concrete territory. The main objective was to understand how social and educational inequalities shape these young people’s perceptions of the concepts that give the research its title. The theoretical framework engages with both classical and contemporary sociology, integrating contributions from sociologist Ruut Veenhoven and four criteria from the World Happiness Report: social support, freedom to make choices, generosity, and perceptions of corruption, articulated with debates on citizenship and civic culture.

The results show that for young people in both school networks, social support is perceived as circumscribed to the intimate circle of family and friends, and they express caution regarding trust, both in personal relationships and in the evaluation of institutions. Freedom of choice is shown to be deeply constrained by structural inequalities that limit access to higher education and restrict life opportunities, while generosity—linked to collective and community actions—depends on broader material conditions and social incentives.

In summary, the research demonstrates that public happiness, for these young people, is constructed in an ambivalent way: while it relies on bonds of proximity and solidarity, it is also marked by insecurities and by the barriers imposed by social inequality.