In the course of the electoral law reform in 2007, which made Austria a European pioneer by allowing voting from the age of 16 at all levels, a number of education policy reforms were implemented. Political education was introduced as a school subject in combination with history and social studies from the 8th grade. A new decree on the principle of teaching in 2015 was also intended to ensure that civic education is lived out in everyday school life. In concrete terms, this means that current political topics and opportunities for co-determination should be included in the regular lessons of various subjects.

From the point of view of educational psychology, the teaching principle in particular is an exciting aspect. By living democracy at school, students can be strengthened in their political efficacy - in their sense of having the ability to contribute to society. The teaching principle also makes it possible to respond to current political issues that concern them and to include them in the lessons. In this way, the relevance of political and social issues in everyday life becomes visible.

One concept that has been much studied in research is discussions about political and social issues and the perceived classroom climate during these discussions. Discussions contribute significantly to the formation of students' opinions and can promote young people's political interest, effectiveness and motivation to participate.

However, the actual implementation of civic education and its perception by those taught in it still lags behind the curriculum. According to information provided by the directorates in an international comparative study from 2009, only 44 percent of students in the 8th grade in Austria experienced civic education as part of regular subjects. The extent to which this has changed to date is difficult to assess due to Austria's lack of participation in follow-up studies.