Lived Experience as Political Knowledge: How Young Adults without College Degrees Interpret Social Issues

• In Event: Political Sociology Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Youth Politics (Table 3)

Abstract

As Americans lose trust in information-producing institutions, where do they turn to find the truth? Much social science research on information processing focuses on higher-status individuals. To understand how ordinary workers search for reputable information and develop their opinions about political issues, we conducted 45 in-depth interviews with young adults without a college education in Manchester, New Hampshire. Four different engagement styles emerged. Free Thinkers engaged critically with information and believed strongly that their opinions were correct, while Skeptics also engaged critically but felt little conviction about the truth. True Believers confidently embraced mainstream knowledge, while Abstainers were disengaged from political and social issues altogether. Despite these diverse strategies for engaging with information, we found that respondents across the board drew heavily upon personal experiences to make sense of local and national issues. Therefore, building upon findings in misinformation scholarship, we argue experiential and interpersonal relationships will do more to shape young adults’ political interactions than facts and information campaigns.

Authors

• Sydney Sauer, Harvard University

• Hannah Castner, Harvard University