Social-Relational Contexts of Child Participation: Profiles of Children’s Views in 18 Countries

Children’s right to have a say in matters relevant to their lives is a universal legal entitlement but it is realized in settings that differ across cultures and places. Yet, studies that account for these diverse contexts are lacking. This study aimed to fill gaps in the literature by applying latent variable mixture modeling to cross-national data from the International Survey of Children’s Well-being (N = 23,733) to identify profiles of participation among children in 18 countries across four continents and to assess how these profiles compare in different contexts. Results show that in their views on participatory opportunities in key socio-developmental contexts (family, school, local community, country), children belong to one of four groups: Respected and Engaged, Family Supported, Respected but Disengaged and Disengaged. Comparative analyses reveal nuanced variations in the distribution of participation profiles among children in different societies. The article discusses these findings in the context of research and practical efforts aimed at understanding how children in modern societies view participatory opportunities that reflect their diverse roles across multiple social-relational contexts.