Justice as the first virtue of social institutions in the opinion of young Poles and Austrians. Comparative perspective

Abstract

The aim of the article is to gain knowledge of the equality /inequality of opportunities to achieve goals, aspirations and educational expectations among young adults, students of pedagogy in Poland and Austria. The main problem question relates to the activities of educational institutions in both countries, especially in terms of equal and equitable access to them. Answers to the problem questions were ob-tained through focus group interviews, which made it possible to learn about the views of students on the functioning of educational institutions, their accessibility to a wide range of citizens and – indirectly – the factors that most strongly generate inequalities. The statements of both groups of students testify, firstly, the lack of approval of young people for the existing social order, and secondly, a large disproportion between their expectations and ideas about social reality and the reality of public life, in which edu-cational institutions clearly fail, creating – contrary to the principles of democracy – opportunities for some, while limiting the freedoms and opportunities of other members of society.