Sustainable citizenship and societies: a review and qualitative analysis

Abstract Sustainable citizenship has emerged as a critical yet enigmatic concept in the pursuit of achieving sustainable societies. Despite considerable scholarly attention, the intricate connections between sustainable citizenship and societal sustainability remain underexplored. This study seeks to bridge this gap by conducting a comprehensive systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis of 379 research articles. Using VOSviewer and the Biblioshiny package within R Studio, we unveil publication trends and identify the most influential sources, offering valuable insights for both established and nascent researchers. Furthermore, themes are discussed using science mapping which uncovers underexplored and emergent themes, shedding light on promising directions for future inquiry. By synthesizing existing knowledge and proposing a forward-looking research agenda, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of how sustainable citizenship can serve as a cornerstone for fostering sustainable societies. The themes exploring the conjunction of sustainable citizenship and society and a framework developed express varied angles via which such societies may be developed.