What are the relationships between social participation in civil societies and the development of knowledge societies in Europe? The "European Social Survey" is an useful tool to gauge the knowledge societies of Europe and their impact on multiple dimensions of social life, including social participation. Data from the "European Social Survey" (2008) shows that European citizens more integrated in the knowledge society are also participating more in their civil societies. Internet usage intensifies with the increasing of the average years of schooling of Europeans and a higher age is only one obstacle to the use of the Internet when it is coincident with a limited formal education. Formal education and the use of new information and communication technologies ultimately serve as a practical tool in mediation and involvement of European citizens in social participation. But the contact with the new technologies, including the Internet usage is far from uniform among the different socio-professional categories, a regularity that is verified in most European countries. 'Old' and 'new' social inequalities overlap, building "digital divides" between individuals, social groups, socio-professional categories and regions in Europe. Knowledge societies in Europe potentiate new opportunities for communication and social interaction for citizens more interested and mobilized in social participation. But if social participation goes alongside with the development of knowledge societies, the increase of Internet access infrastructure is not a sufficient condition for the reduction of technological inequalities. The increase in the number of Internet users and the intensification of their forms of communication depends equally on investment in education and skills and on reducing social inequalities: these are the objective conditions for civil societies in Europe to become more vigorous.

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Social participation,knowledge societies,inequalities

• Sociologia - Ciências Sociais