Exploring the Heterogeneous Effects of Civic Education on Voter Turnout Using Causal Forests

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  In Roundtable Session: Promising Practices in Social Studies Teaching and Learning (Table 20)

Abstract

This study explores the effect of civic education on voter turnout and whether and how such effects vary by students’ background characteristics. To estimate heterogeneous effects, we analyze nationally representative data from the Commission on Youth Voting and Civic Knowledge Youth Post-Election Survey 2012, using causal forests, a machine learning algorithm to estimate heterogeneous treatment effects. We found that young adults who took civic courses are more likely to vote. By contrast, an open classroom climate did not increase the likelihood of voting on average. Regarding heterogeneous effects, civic courses are more beneficial to students from low socioeconomic families. In addition, an open classroom climate is more beneficial to advantaged students and more effective in racially diverse schools.

Authors

• Jilli Jung, Stanford University

• Junghwi Shin, Seoul National University