The Effects of Civic Education, Political Information, and Political Memories on Political Participation and Self-Censorship

• In Event: Political Participation

Abstract

In November of 2024, Gen Z youth will include approximately 40 million eligible voters amounting to one fifth of the American electorate (Medina & Suzuki, 2023). How many of these youth voters will participate in the upcoming presidential election? Voter turnout among people aged 18 to 24 stood at 48 percent in 2020. While this was one of the highest rates in the past four decades (Jung & Gopalan, 2023), it was approximately 25 percentage points lower than that of those aged 65 to 74 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2021) a gap that is largest among advanced democracies across the globe (Holbein & Hillygus, 2020). What factors aid and inhibit youth political participation in the United States? An assessment of these factors is of keen importance as youth voting behavior has been linked to future likelihood of political participation (Coppock, & Green, 2016; Dinas, 2012). It is also pivotal at a time when some warn about the implications that partisanship, polarization, and voter disengagement on American democratic institutions (Levitsky & Ziblatt, 2023). Our paper will report findings and discuss implications based on data from an original survey. First, we analyze the relationship between youth political participation and civic education, political memories, and political information. Second, we assess the effects of these three factors (civic education, memories, and information) on self-censorship.

Authors

• Eleni M Mantas-Kourounis, Sacred Heart University

• Todd Matthews, Sacred Heart University