The political education of young people in West Germany, Finland, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, and United States is examined. Purposes of the study are to (1) define civic education cross-nationally, (2) deal with methodological problems in assessing student achievement and attitudes, (3) convey a detailed picture of student knowledge and attitudes, (4) assess the impact of home and school on knowledge and attitudes, (5) relate characteristics of school and national political systems to affective and cognitive outcomes, and (6) consider the place of a comparative civic-education study in political socialization research. A set of classroom-administered questionnaires covering factual knowledge, civic attitudes, perception and understanding of political processes, and background information were answered by over 30,000 10-year-olds, 14-year-olds, and preuniversity students. Answers were analyzed to show similarities in political education in different countries, to show processes of influence, and to compare age-level results. Results showed that classroom climate was more important than classroom practices. For example, more knowledgeable, less authoritarian, and more interested, though not necessarily more democratic, students attended schools where they were encouraged to have free discussion and to express their opinions in class. Cause and effect was conjectural only, but mental development and age of students proved important. (ND)