digital media and political inequality among youth
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CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Digital Media and Political Inequality among Youth
Joseph KahneMills CollegeFebruary 25, 2009
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
For more information
Joseph Kahnejkahne@mills.eduwww.civicsurvey.org
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Focus of the Presentation 1. Participation is lower than desired and
unequal.2. Schools can promote civic and political
participation, but do so inequitably3. Can digital media promote
participation equitably?
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Good News!Youth Voting - UpThe youth vote has risen steadily from
37% in 1996 to 52% in 2008Youth participation up in primaries youth turnout tripled in Iowa, Georgia,
Missouri, and Oklahoma youth turnout quadrupled in
Tennessee
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
We Know Youth Care about Others
“I try to help when I see people in need”
86% Agree – 5% Disagree84% reported volunteering in high school!
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Room for Improvement:The Youth Vote
In most primaries more than 80% of those 18-29 did not vote
In the presidential election 48% of those 18-29 did not vote
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Youth Participation
55% of youth (18-29) were judged to be disengaged in 2008
9% of youth could list two ways a democratic society benefits from civic participation (From NAEP)
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Civic KnowledgeMany students lack basic civic knowledge
50% could not identify the correct function of the Supreme Court
33% could not identify either of California’s U.S. Senators from among a list of options
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Adult Civic Knowledge: Room for Improvement
38% of adults could name the three branches of government
59% could name the three Stooges
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Civic & Political Inequality
“Citizens with low or moderate incomes speak with a whisper that is lost on the ears of inattentive government, while the advantaged roar with the clarity and consistency that policymakers readily head” (APSA)
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Influence Is Unequal
The policy preferences of those in the bottom third of the income distribution had no apparent statistical effect on their senators’ roll call votes.
-- Larry Bartels
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Unequal Voice High vs. Low Income Citizens
4x as likely to do campaign work 3x as likely to do informal community work 2x as likely to contact elected officials 9x as likely to contribute to campaigns
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Youth Participation is UnequalThe Youth Voting Gap25% of 18-29 yr olds with at least some college voted in primaries (1 in 4)
7% of 18-29 yr olds with no college experience voted in primaries (1 in 14)
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Youth Participation GapOf young adults under 30 : 41% with some college experience were not very engaged.
81% with no college experience were not very engaged. (Civic Health Index)
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Can Education Help?
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
The Basic Question Do civic learning opportunities promote
commitments to civic participation and actual participation?
Controlling for Prior commitments Demographics Other school qualities Parental participation
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Promising Educational Practices1. Instruction in Gov’t, History, Econ2. Discussions of Current Events3. Service Learning4. Extracurricular Activities5. Student Voice in Schools and
Classrooms6. Simulations
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Chicago Study Methodology and Sample (With Sue Sporte) Included students who took our survey in
2003 and 2005Total of 52 schools - 4,057 studentsAssessed the relationship of civic learning
opportunities to civic commitments with a series of 3-level HLM models.
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
0.14 *** 0.13 ***
0.05 *
-0.05
0.05
0.15
0.25
0.35
Parent/Student Talk NeighborhoodSocial Capital
School Sense of Belonging
Civic Community Variables
Civi
c Co
mm
itmen
t Effe
ct
Size
sExperiencing Civic Community Promotes Civic Commitments
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
0.39 ***
0.2 ***
0.34 ***
-0.05
0.05
0.15
0.25
0.35
Service Learning
Classroom Civic LearningOpportunities
Civic CommitmentsIn 2003
Civic Learning Variables
Civi
c Co
mm
itmen
ts E
ffect
Si
zes
Classroom-Based Civic Learning Opportunities MATTER
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Schools Could Alter Inequality
39
16
68
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
"Average" Classroom Civic Opportunities
"Low" Classroom Civic Opportunities
"High" Classroom Civic
OpportunitiesVarying levels of Civic Learning Opportunities. Always one SD
below average on Parent and Neighborhood Civic Context
Perc
entil
e Ra
nkin
g, C
ivic
Com
mitm
ents
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
The California Survey of Civic Education(With Ellen Middaugh)
A Diverse Group of California High Schools Demographic range of race, ethnicity,
achievement level, socioeconomic status, and geography (rural, urban, suburban)
2005: 2,366 students surveyed in spring of their senior year
2006: 2,151 students surveyed (898 seniors,1,253 juniors)
2007: Post surveys given to 514 students from junior sample -- now seniors
School Practices & OutcomesCommitment
toParticipation
Intend to
Vote
Informedto
VoteCivicSkills
PoliticalKnowledge
PoliticalInterest
Classroom-Based Instruction Gov, Hist, Law Current Events Open Class ClimateExperiential Learning Opportunities Service Learning Extracurricular Activities Simulations
Statistically significant
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
These Commitments Relate to Future Behavior
Commitments to Participatory Citizenship, Political Interest, and Intention to Vote predict: electoral activity, staying informed about politics
and current events civic activity
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Education can Promote Civic and Political EngagementDoes education promote more equitable civic and political engagement?
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Unequal Civic Learning Opportunities 32% of youth going to 4 yr. colleges said they had “a lot” of opportunities to do service learning in high school
16% of youth going to 2 yr. voc. education said they had “A lot” of opportunities to do service learning in high school
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Unequal Civic Learning Opportunities
Compared with white studentsAfrican-American students report:
Fewer civically oriented government courses
Fewer discussions of social problems and current events
A less open classroom climate
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Unequal Civic Learning Opportunities
Compared with white students, Latino students report:
Fewer opportunities for service learning
A less open classroom climateFewer experiences with role plays and simulations
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Unequal Civic Learning Opportunities
Compared with students taking AP American Government, students in College Prep Gov’t classes report fewer of all civic learning opportunities
80% of AP sample took part in simulations
51% of CP students took part in simulation
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Unequal Civic Learning Opportunities
Our analysis of the IEA National Database Compared to 9th graders in classes of
average SES, 9th graders in classes of high SES were: 2x more likely to discuss how laws are made 1.9x more likely to report participating in
service activities 1.6x as likely to take part in a debate or
panel discussion
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Education can Promote EngagementBut desirable learning opportunities are inequitably distributed and likely exacerbate inequality.
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Can Digital Media Promote Civic and Political Equality?
Digital Consumption of Civic Information
Digital Participation in Civic LifeDigital Play Related to Civic ContentDigital Civic Education
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Frequency of Digital Consumption of Civic InformationYouth getting campaign news from the internet more than doubled btw 2004 and 2008 – to 46%
37% of 18-24 year olds also got campaign news from social networking sites
41% of 18-29 year olds have gone online to watch interviews, commercials, debates, speeches. (Kohut, et al., 2008)
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Consumption MattersInformsLeads to interest and discussion
Can lead the production of information
Fosters engagement
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Frequency of Digital Participation?
64% of teens engage in online content creation
28% have there own online journal or blog (Lenhart, et al., 2007).
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Participation Matters
Develops skillsNorms of participation
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Frequency of Digital Game Play?
We asked 1,102 young people if they had played a video game
39 said “No”
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Civic Gaming opportunities May Promote Civic Outcomes
School-Based Video Game BasedInstruction in civically
relevant disciplinesDiscuss current events
and social issuesService LearningExtracurricular activitiesStudent governanceSimulations of civic
processes
Games w/civic contentOpen discussions current
events w/in gamesHelping and leading w/in
game communityExtra-game activitiesPlayer governanceSimulations of civic
processes
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Civilization
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Frequency of Digital Civic Education? Teachers are engaging in digital civic education.
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Digital Civic Education Matters. It promotesNon-school exposure to online
communities with diverse civic and political priorities
Non-school online leadership opportunities
Commitments to civic participation
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Digital consumption of civic information is unequalThose with at least one year of college are twice as likely to use the internet to get civic information weekly (Civic Health Index).
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Some forms of Digital Participation are relatively equalSocial Networking: 57% with college experience vs 52% without college experience used Facebook or MySpace to address social issues.
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Civic Gaming Experiences appear to be equal Teens have equal exposure to civic gaming experiences irrespective of income level, race, and age.
Girls have fewer of these experiences than boys.
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Digital Civic Education is Equitably Distributed.No differences in frequency of these experiences by race, gender, SES, or academic achievement.
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Digital Media may facilitate Recruitment.Ease of recruitment shapes college/non-college gap.
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
SummaryDM provides many opportunities to foster
engagement.Digital civic participation, civic gaming, and
civic education appear equitably distributed.Digital Media may provide a means of
recruiting groups that are currently less engaged.
CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
Implications
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