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A Comparative Study of Youth Culture and Delinquency: Upper Middle-Class Canadian and Swiss Boys

WHETHER OR NOT the youth culture is a universal phenomenon we do not know. There is so little reported research on the subject outside of the United States that hearsay is apt to be our best source of information if we enquire about the topic elsewhere. Similarly, the comparative study of juvenile delinquency is just beginning (see R. and J. T. Cavan, 1968). What we know of delinquency in non-English speaking countries is limited usually to the illegal conduct of lower-class boys (R. and J. T. Cavan, 1968; Juvenile Delinquency in Post-War Europe, 1960; La Ddlinquance des Jeunes en Groupe, 1963). The presence of a youth culture and the extent of delinquency among boys from upper socioeconomic strata remain largely a mystery (cf. Coleman, 1961; Bernard, 1961; Vaz, 1969). Perhaps these boys are better behaved, less aggressive and hostile. Perhaps they do not as often run foul of the law. On the other hand, perhaps they have not yet been researched. This paper is a cross-cultural step in this direction. It attempts an initial analysis of comparative data on selected dimensions of the youth culture among upper middle-class Canadian and Swiss boys. This includes their parent/peer orientation and also the frequency of their dating and other &dquo;social&dquo; activities; secondly it presents comparative material on the attitudes of these boys towards common adolescent situations and on their self-reported delinquencies. Discussion proceeds according to the comparative development of a youth culture and the social roles of these boys. In April 1963 data on the self-reported delinquency and youth culture activities of boys were gathered from five coeducational high schools located in four Canadian communities. Anonymous questionnaires were administered to