The model of Competences for Democratic Culture (CDC) presents the competences that individuals require to act as competent democratic citizens. There are 20 competences organised in values, attitudes, skills, and knowledge and critical understanding.

Values

Values are general beliefs that individuals hold about the desirable goals that should be striven for in life in democracy. They motivate action and they also serve as guiding principles for deciding how to act as democratic citizen.

Attitudes

An attitude is the overall mental orientation which an individual adopts towards someone or something (for example a person, a group, an institution, an issue, as event, a symbol). The selected attitudes are important for a culture of democracy.

Skills

A skill is the capacity for carrying out complex, well-organised patterns of either thinking or behaviour in an adaptative manner in order to achieve a particular end or goal. There are eight sets of skills that are important for a culture of democracy.

Knowledge and critical understanding

Knowledge is the body of information that is possessed by a person, while understanding is the comprehension and appreciation of meanings. The term “critical understanding” is used to emphasise the need for the comprehension and appreciation of meanings in the context of democratic processes and intercultural dialogue to involve active reflection on and critical evaluation of that which is being understood and interpreted. 
 

 Competences for democratic culture. Living together as equals in culturally diverse democratic societies (2016)

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 Competences for democratic culture. Living together as equals in culturally diverse democratic societies. Executive summary

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