According to the European parliament (but not only), social and civic competences are of key importance to each individual in the contemporary knowledge-based society. While in general acquiring such competences and skill is rarely part of the educational curriculum, especially at the tertiary level, they facilitate all learners’ relationships and success. Therefore, it is important to know how students assess their own social and civic competences, including their willingness to participate in different social activities not only on campus/in school, but also in a digital environment that becomes more and more important part of their everyday life.

The paper is dedicated to analysing the results of an international survey with a focus on Bulgarian school leavers and university students conducted online in 2024. The thematic focus will be students’ self-assessment of their willingness to participate in social and civic activities on site, online civic and political engagement, willingness to participate in political discussions and to express opinions. Where relevant, points of comparison and contrast with the results for Poland, Lithuania and Argentina will be made. The main hypothesis is that the university students tend to be more politically engaged and open to civic activities than school students.

Keywords: Education, civic competences, online discussions.