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College Republicans Zachary May
So basically… • I chose to do research on students who consider themselves Republicans that attend the University of South Carolina. The prime question of the project was to find out what made these students become Republicans. The reason I chose to do a study on politics was because it is an election year so people are more interested to talk about their political opinions.
Methods • I used participant observation as a method of field studying, which is not only observing a group of people but as well as being actively involved in the situations. I did things such as interview students and sit it and participate in meetings of the student organization “College Republicans.”
The Main Points • I learned that the three main reasons that the students consider themselves Republicans were based on what their parents believe, their geographic location, and what is being reported by the media.
Parents’ beliefs • This was one of the most, if not the most influential factor on the students. I learned that many students said this was the reason they were Republican. Although some people say that they will support the opposite party their parents support when they’re teenagers in order to rebel, they usually end up supporting the same party as their parents.
Geographic Location • This was another very important factor. Many students said living in a state that votes Republican every year definitely had a heavy influence on them. One student quoted, “It’s hard not to be a Republican if you grew up in the South. It seems like everyone is a Republican. It’s all around you.”
The Media • I formulated that the media is very powerful in affecting children and teenagers. Teenagers love watching television, and the news-only channels report tons and tons of politics. I reported that the media is positive in that it gets teens interested in politics, but negative in that they try very hard to persuade people into the side from which they support.
In Conclusion… • Overall, the project was very beneficial in helping me understand why college-aged students think the way they do with politics. Using the technique of participant observation to study the students was the best way to go about it because it gets you involved and that makes the people you are studying most comfortable.
