Recent years have witnessed signs of increasing political instability in democratic countries as well as growing alienation from civic institutions and processes among citizens, especially among young people. Within the context of civic and citizenship education, it is important to review such phenomena and study their extent among young people as well as the factors that have the potential of promoting different forms of citizenship engagement. Using data from the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) 2016 and 2009, this article provides insights into the expectations of young people to actively engage as citizens in the future and what influences these expectations, with a primary focus on the role of civic knowledge and trust in civic institutions.