Fragile civility and the seeds of conflict among youth in contemporary Indonesia

Abstract

This article highlights various forms of uncivil behavior among Indonesian students which may become the seed of conflict, including bullying, which reflect how fragile youth civility is. Civility and incivility are different yet linked concepts that manifest with complexity in schools and beyond. Anecdotal evidence of incivility among young people is present in various forums, including social media and news coverage. Based on a mixed-methods design of quantitative and qualitative research, this study shows that incivility, bullying, intolerant, and aggressive behavior are prevalent both within and beyond the school environment in Indonesia. However, these uncivil behaviors have not been addressed with a sense of urgency in the country. It is hoped that this article will shed some light on the seriousness of uncivil behavior among Indonesian youth, which requires close attention on the part of schools, policy-makers and society at large.