Financial Anxiety, University Support Systems, and Student Civic Engagement

• In Event: Exploring the Experience of Anxiety in American Politics

Abstract

Low income and first generation college students often face unique stressors as they navigate the university experience. Research in behavioral economics, public health, and cognitive science show how anxiety impacts executive function, with consequences for time management, impulse control, and emotional regulation. Research from political science also suggests that heightened anxiety can reduce political engagement, even if interest in political participation is high. Given that young adults often vote at lower rates than older citizens, it is important to study how anxiety – and campus programming to reduce this anxiety – impacts political engagement among college students. In this paper, I use an encouragement design to randomly increase student exposure to university services intended to reduce anxiety. The study is conducted at a university where the majority of students experience stressors related to financial insecurity and/or first generation college status. I then test whether increased awareness of college support services a) increases service use, b) decreases student anxiety, and c) mediates a change in civic engagement. Here, civic engagement is measured as willingness to volunteer for a campus-wide voter registration drive and census awareness campaign.

Author

• Elaine K. Denny, University of California, Merced