The impact of education and family upbringing on the formation of loyalty to the state: The case of Latvia
-
DOIhttp://dx.doi.org/10.21511/ppm.23(3).2025.37
-
Article InfoVolume 23 2025, Issue #3, pp. 509-522
- 29 Views
-
2 Downloads
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Type of the article: Research Article
Abstract
This paper examines the concept of loyalty as a flexible principle and a motivational factor that influences an individual’s interest in the existence and development of the state. Loyalty significantly contributes to social cohesion and national resilience, especially in the current turbulent geopolitical climate. The aim of this study is to analyze the factors influencing Latvian students’ loyalty to the state, including civic engagement, a sense of being needed by the country, and education about civic responsibility. The study also examines the impact of education and family upbringing on the formation of loyalty to the state.
Data were collected through a survey conducted in 2024, which included multiple-choice and Likert-scale questions. The sample consisted of 437 students in grades 9–12 from Liepaja, Latvia. The findings demonstrate that Pearson’s chi-square analysis revealed a positive association between loyalty to the state and the following factors: knowledge of state history (χ² = 33.28, p < 0.001), teaching of civic responsibility at school (χ² = 40.24, p < 0.001), discussing state politics with family members (χ² = 12.48, p = 0.001), and discussing civic responsibility within the family (χ² = 16.86, p < 0.001).
Overall, 54.1% of respondents considered themselves civically engaged, and 81.4% reported feeling loyal to the state. A multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that being civically engaged, feeling needed by the country, and receiving education about civic responsibility significantly increase the likelihood of students expressing loyalty to the state.
Acknowledgments
The authors sincerely thank the survey participants (pupils) and management teams of educational institutions.
- Keywords
-
JEL Classification (Paper profile tab)I21, Z13, C35
-
References51
-
Tables0
-
Figures5
-
- Figure 1. Multiple logistic regression model of civic engagement parameters affecting loyalty to the state
- Figure 2. Association between the opinion that knowledge of state history is important and the feeling of loyalty toward the state
- Figure 3. Association between teaching civic responsibility at school and the feeling of loyalty toward the state
- Figure 4. Association between discussing state politics within the family and the feeling of loyalty toward the state
- Figure 5. Association between discussing civic responsibility within the family and the feeling of loyalty toward the state
-
- Adler, R. P., & Goggin, J. (2005). What do we mean by “civic engagement”? Journal of Transformative Education, 3(3), 236-253.
- Alcantar, C. M., Freeman-Wong, R. E., Kim, V., Hafoka, I., Mazumder, T., & Rongkilyo, S. H. (2023). The role of family in the civic lives of undocumented Asian college students. Journal of College Student Development, 64(3), 309-325.
- Arel, D. (2017). Language, status, and state loyalty in Ukraine. Harvard Ukrainian Studies, 35(1/4), 233-263.
- Barnhardt, C. L., Sheets, J. E., & Pasquesi, K. (2015). You expect “what?” Students’ perceptions as resources in acquiring commitments and capacities for civic engagement. Research in Higher Education, 56(6), 622-644.
- Berry, Z., Lewis, N. A., & Sowden, W. J. (2021). The double-edged sword of loyalty. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 30(4), 321-326.
- Bircan, H. (2004). Lojistik regresyon analizi: Tıp verileri üzerine bir uygulama [Logistic regression analysis: An application on medical data]. Kocaeli Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 2, 185-208. (In Turkish).
- Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development. Cambridge: Harvard College.
- Brown, J.A. (2014). “Our National Feeling is a Broken One:” Civic emotion and the Holocaust in German Citizenship Education. Qualitative Sociology, 37, 425-442.
- Burr, V. (1995). An introduction to social constructionism (1st ed.). New York: Routledge.
- Burr, V. (2004). Social constructionism (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge.
- Chua, S., & Sim, J. B.-Y. (2017). Postmodern patriotism: Teachers’ perceptions of loyalty to Singapore. Asian Education and Development Studies, 6(1), 30-43.
- Collins, M., & Stearns, P.N. (2020). Why study history. London: London Publishing Partnership.
- Creswell, J. W. (1994). Research design: Qualitative & quantitative approaches. London: SAGE Publications.
- Do, K. A., Parra, G. R., Kim, S., Pillai, S., Choi, E., & de Guzman, M. R. T. (2024). Youth civic engagement: A global perspective. In Y.R. Xia, M.R.T. de Guzman, R. Esteinou, & C.S. Hollist (Eds.), Global Perspectives on Adolescents and Their Families. International and Cultural Psychology (pp. 115-134). New York: Springer.
- Druckman, D. (1994). Nationalism, patriotism, and group loyalty: A social psychological perspective. Mershon International Studies Review, 38(suppl_1), 43-68.
- Elsayed, W. (2024). Building a better society: The vital role of family’s social values in creating a culture of giving in young children’s minds. Heliyon, 10(7), Article e29208.
- European Union. (2016). Consolidated versions of the treaty on European Union and the treaty on the functioning of the European Union. Official Journal of the European Union, C 202.
- Firek, W. (2023). Partycypacja obywatelska jako wartość konstytucyjna w demokratycznym państwie prawnym [Citizen participation as a constitutional value in a democratic state governed by the rule of law]. Przegląd Konstytucyjny, 2, 53-73. (In Polish).
- Graham, J., Haidt, J., & Nosek, B. A. (2009). Liberals and conservatives rely on different sets of moral foundations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 96(5), 1029-1046.
- Griņeviča, L., Bite, D., & Broka, A. (2022). Social and economic challenges and opportunities in family formation in Latvia. In M. Emirhafizovic, T. Heiman, M. Medgyesi, C. Pinheiro Mota, S. Tomanovic, & S. Vella (Eds.), Family Formation Among Youth in Europe: Coping with Socio-Economic Disadvantages (pp. 105-122). Information Age Publishing Inc.
- Guy-Evans, O. (2025, May 6). Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory. Simply Psychology.
- Guzmán, D. L., Gómez-Cano, C. A., & Sánchez-Castillo, V. (2023). Construcción del estado a partir de la participación Ciudadana [Building the state through citizen participation]. Revista Academia & Derecho, 14(25), 1-18. (In Spanish).
- Haljasorg, H., & Lilleoja, L. (2016). How could students become loyal citizens? Basic values, value education, and national attitudes among 10th-graders in Estonia. Trames Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences, 20(2), 99-114.
- Hilbe, J. M. (2015). Practical guide to logistic regression. New York: Chapman and Hall/CRC.
- Hrushetskyi, A. (2024). Dynamika stavlennia do statusu rosiiskoii movy v Ukraini [Dynamics of attitudes toward the status of the Russian language in Ukraine]. Kyiv International Institute of Sociology. (In Ukrainian.)
- Ji, W., & Zhang, D. (2023). The interactive relationship between national identity and citizenship education. SHS Web of Conferences, 168, Article 03016.
- Jurs, P., & Samuseviča, A. (2020). Monography “CIVIC ENGAGEMENT: Youth potential”. Liepaja: Liepaja University Publishing House.
- Kleinig, J. (2008). Patriotic loyalty. In I. Primoratz & A. Pavkovic (Eds.), Patriotism: Philosophical and Political Perspectives. (pp. 37-53) New York: Routledge.
- Lanaca, A. R. B., Albor, R. G. Z., & Recto, F. B. (2022). Values formation within the family as an antecedent of civic participation. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Analysis, 5(11), 2979-2989.
- Latvian Public Broadcasting. (2023, October 2). One month since minority schools switched to more Latvian language instruction. Riga: Latvian Public Media.
- Liunesi, R., Mbuik, H. B., Naitili, C. A., & Nitte, Y. M. (2025). The role of the teacher in developing students’ learning creativity in civic education learning at GMIT Kuanino I elementary school. Journal of Innovative Technologies in Learning and Education, 2(1), 21-32.
- Muddiman, E., Power, S., & Taylor, C. (2020). Civil society and the family (1st ed.). Bristol: Bristol University Press.
- Muddiman, E., Taylor, C., Power, S., & Moles, K. (2018). Young people, family relationships and civic participation. Journal of Civil Society, 15(1), 82-98.
- Murray, S., Carmona Díaz, G. M., Vega-Plazas, L. S., Jiménez-Leal, W., & Amaya, S. (2024). Loyalty from a personal point of view: A cross-cultural prototype study of loyalty. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 153(12), 3002-3026.
- Pasco Fearon, R. M., & Roisman, G. (2017). Attachment theory: progress and future directions. Current Opinion in Psychology, 15, 131-136.
- Pešikan, A., & Lalović, Z. (2015). The role of schools in developing students’ character, values and skills – the report on the results of the research (“My Character and Values” Initiative). Montenegro: UNICEF Montenegro Bureau of Education.
- Schulz, W., Ainley, J., Fraillon, J., Losito, B., Agrusti, G., Damiani, V., & Friedman, T. (2025). Aspects of students’ civic engagement. In Education for Citizenship in Times of Global Challenge (pp. 85-122). New York: Springer.
- Shaw, A., DeScioli, P., Barakzai, A., & Kurzban, R. (2017). Whoever is not with me is against me: The costs of neutrality among friends. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 71, 96-104.
- Slyusar, L. (2023). The Ukrainian family in the conditions of war. Demography and Social Economy, 52(2), 3-20.
- Straughn, J. B., & Andriot, A. L. (2011). Education, civic patriotism, and democratic citizenship: Unpacking the education effect on political involvement. Sociological Forum, 26(3), 556-580.
- The Ministry of Defence Republic of Latvia. (n.d.). National Defence Education.
- The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. (2024). Modelna navchalna prohrama “Zakhyst Ukrayiny. Intehrovanyy kurs” dlya zakladiv, shcho zabezpechuiut zdobuttia povnoyi zahalnoyi serednoyi osvity [Model curriculum “Defense of Ukraine. Integrated course” for institutions providing full general secondary education].
- Torney-Purta, J. (2002). The school’s role in developing civic engagement: A study of adolescents in twenty-eight countries. Applied Developmental Science, 6(4), 203-212.
- Treļs, Ē., & Mihailovs, J. (2023). The concept of loyalty in legal regulation in the Republic of Latvia: Current situation and challenges. Journal of the University of Latvia. Law, 16, 226-242.
- Tursunkulova, S. (2021). The importance of forming students’ patriotism at school. Bulletin of Science and Practice, 9(7), 571-575.
- Valdmanis, J. (2021). Foreword. In Language situation in Latvia 2016–2020. Riga: Latvian Language Agency.
- Valsts Kanceleja. (2024, May 3). Pētījums par sabiedrībā aktuāliem jautājumiem [Research on current issues in society]. Rīga: Pētījumu un publikāciju datu bāze. (In Latvian).
- Weinschenk, A. C., Dawes, C. T., & Oskarsson, S. (2021). Does education instill civic duty? Evidence from monozygotic twins in the United States and Sweden. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 33(1), 183-195.
- You, K. (2024). Why an individual is loyal to the country. Interdisciplinary Humanities and Communication Studies, 1(10).
- Youniss, J. (2011). Civic education: What schools can do to encourage civic identity and action. Applied Developmental Science, 15(2), 98-103.
- Zilbershats, Y. (2002). The human right to citizenship. London: Transnational Publishers.