Research on Youth Civic Engagement

1. Research on Youth Civic Engagement Center for Civic Education Webinar Diana Owen Georgetown University

2. Youth Civic Engagement • Young people are less interested and engaged in politics than older citizens. • While they sporadically exhibit higher levels of engagement, such as during the 2008 presidential contest, they do not consistently take part in political and civic life. • Can civic education effectively work to reverse this trend? • What types of instructional methods are effective in instilling participatory orientations in students?

3. Findings from two surveys: • Civic Education and Political Engagement Study (CEPES) • We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution Alumni (WTP)

4. Civic Education and Political Engagement Study (CEPES) • National Probability Survey • Original study designed by the Georgetown University and Center for Civic Education Research Team • Fielded by Knowledge Networks (KN) • Data collected: May 14-28, 2010 • n=1,228 • Survey Explores • Support for civic education • Civic education experience • Attitudes toward civics instruction • Political socialization • Political knowledge • Political attitudes and values • Political participation • Community involvement • Campaign activity • Traditional media use • New media use

5. We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution Alumni • Convenience Sample • Utilized same questions at the CEPES designed by the Georgetown University and Center for Civic Education Research Team • Online questionnaire fielded by Georgetown University. • Data collected in 2 waves: May and June, 2010 n=1,002 May and June 2011 n= 243 • Over 30 million students and 90,000 teachers have participated in the We the People program since it’s inception in 1987 • The first round of data collected targeted all We the People alumni • The second round, same survey, was administered to a sample of recent graduates, half of whom were winners of state-level competitions and half of whom were typical program students

6. Civic Education Experience of Respondents • CEPES National Survey • No Civic Education 24% • A civics or social studies course 64% • A civics course and program 12% • Wide range of over 75 programs, including Boys and Girls State, Street Law, YMCA Youth and Government, Rotary, Junior Statements, Harvard CIVICS Program • Not all civic education programs are alike: different goals, curricula, instructional strategies, etc. • We the People Alumni Survey • All respondents have completed the WTP curriculum • A subset attended national finals • Note: There were more WTP alumni in the CEPES national probability sample than participants in any other program

7. Type of Instruction in Civics Classes

8. Political Knowledge • To what extent do individuals’ civic education experiences correlate with their factual knowledge of government and politics? • What types of instructional methods are most effective in conveying factual civic and political knowledge?

9. Higher levels of political knowledge are associated with higher levels of civic education CEPES- National Probability Sample (percentage of respondents answering the question correctly) Χ2 sign. p≤.00 for all knowledge items

10. Political Knowledge of We the People Alumni (percentage of respondents answering the question correctly)

11. How much do you feel you know about the following?Percentage Answering “A great deal”

12. Lecture and textbook approaches positively correlate with the acquisition of factual political knowledge Political Knowledge by Classroom Instructional Method (CEPES) (percentage of respondents correctly answering the question whose civics instruction “always” included the method)

13. Political KnowledgeSummary of Findings • Civic Education has a positive effect on political knowledge. • Lecture and textbook approaches are positively related to the acquisition of factual political knowledge. • Discussion of current events alone does not predict acquisition of factual political knowledge. Classrooms that rely too heavily on discussions of current events may not convey factual political knowledge in a manner that is retained by students. However, integrating discussion of current events into a curriculum that includes discussion of relevant topics is positively associated with heightened knowledge levels.

14. Norms of Political Participation • Does civic education contribute to the development of norms of political participation—civic duty, political efficacy, and civic responsibility?

15. Civic DutyPercentage who “agree strongly”

16. Political EfficacyPercentage who “agree strongly”

17. Civic ResponsibilityPercentage who “agree strongly”

18. Norms of Political ParticipationSummary of Findings • Civic Education has a positive effect on the development of a sense of civic duty, political efficacy, and civic responsibility. • Innovative civic educational instructional approaches generally promote the development of a sense of civic duty, political efficacy, and civic responsibility. • Exception to the general trend: There is no relationship between civic education and the development of a sense of duty to serve in the military.

19. Voting and Campaign Participation • Are people with higher levels of civic education more likely to vote and participate in elections than those who lack civic training? • What types of curricular innovations are most effective in encouraging voting and electoral participation over the life course? • How does civic education factor into traditional campaign participation as well as that involving the use of social media?

20. Youth Voting Trends in Presidential ElectionsSource: CIRCLE Youth Voting Fact Sheet

21. Youth Voting Trends in Midterm ElectionsSource: CIRCLE Youth Voting Fact Sheet Source: U.S. Census CPS 1974-2010

22. Some Explanations for Young Voter Turnout • Political Socialization • Partisan identification on the decline, but still a relevant factor in voter participation • Civic Education • Development of civic skills • Civic education efforts of the past quarter century are paying off with increased turnout in some recent presidential elections • Mobilization and Invitations to Participate • Party, candidate, and political consultants • Youth voter mobilization efforts • Media Messages • Media framing of young voters

23. Voting and Civic Education Experience • χ2 p≤.05 for Civic Education Index

24. Voting (Eligible Voters) by AgeCEPES Study • 48% of 18-29 year olds who had no civic education voted in the 2008 presidential elections, compared to 66% of those who had taken a civics or social studies course and 77% of those who had participated in a civic education program like We the People.

25. How much do you feel you know about the following?--The voting process--The electoral collegePercentage answering “a great deal” by civic education

26. Participation in Campaign Activities

27. Engaged the 2008 Presidential Election via New Media Percentage answering “frequently”

28. Campaign Participation and Civic Education Experience χ2 p≤.05 for Civic Education Index

29. Voting, Campaign Engagement and Civics Curricular ActivitiesCivic Education and Political Engagement Study

30. Voting, Campaign Engagement andCivics Curricular ActivitiesWe the People Alumni Survey

31. Voting and Campaign BehaviorSummary of Findings • Civic education matters for voting and participation in election campaigns. • People who feel they are knowledgeable about the electoral process are more likely to participate. • Classroom instruction is more important than extracurricular activities in promoting voting and electoral engagement. • With the possible exception of participating in politically-relevant extracurricular activities • Engagement in campaigns through social media is a new and evolving phenomenon that warrants consideration for civic educators.

32. Civic and Political Engagement • Does civic education contribute to greater engagement in civic and political life? • What types of civic and political activities are most highly correlated with civic education?

33. Have you done any of the following activities?

34. Civic and Political EngagementSummary of Findings • People with no civic education are significantly less inclined to take part in civic and political activities than people with at least some civic training. • People who have civics program experience, such as We the People, are the most inclined to be engaged.

35. Summary • Civic education matters. • Even a small amount of civic education encourages people to become more civically and politically engaged citizens. • To consider: • How can civic educators respond to the rapidly changing political and civic environment, especially the use of digital media for engagement? • What curricular approaches might best prepare students to engage meaningfully in this environment?

36. Publications • Owen, Diana. 2012. “The Influence of Civic Education on Electoral Engagement and Voting.” From Service-Learning to Civic and Political Engagement. Ed. Alison McCartney, Elizabeth Bennion, and Richard Simpson. (Washington, D.C.: American Political Science Association) in press. • Owen, Diana, Suzanne Soule, Jennifer Nairne, Rebecca Chalif, Kate House, and Michael Davidson. 2011. “Civic Education and Social Media Use,” Electronic Media & Politics, 2011, vol. 1, no: 1-28. • Papers • Owen, Diana, Suzanne Soule, Jennifer Nairne, Rebecca Chalif, Michael Davidson, Katherine House. 2010. "Civic Education and Social Media Use." Paper prepared for presentation at the Annual Preconference of the American Political Science Association Political Communication Division, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C., September 1. • Owen, Diana, and Suzanne Soule. 2010. "Civic Education and the Development of Participatory Norms." Paper prepared for presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Washington, D.C., September 2-6. (Note: top 10 downloaded paper from the conference) • Owen, Diana. “Civic Education and Elections in the United States.” Paper prepared for presentation at the German-American Conference, “Comparisons of Parliamentary and Coordinated Power Systems,” Bloomington, Indiana, March 4-8, 2011 • Owen, Diana. 2011. “The Influence of Civic Education on Electoral Engagement and Voting,” paper presented at the American Political Science Association Teaching and Learning Conference, Albuquerque, NM, February 11-13. • Owen, Diana, Suzanne Soule, and Rebecca Chalif. 2011. “Civic Education and Knowledge of Government and Politics,” paper prepared for presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Seattle, Washington, September 1-4.