ERIC Number: ED498892
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2002-Sep-19
Pages: 49
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The Civic and Political Health of the Nation: A Generational Portrait
Keeter, Scott; Zukin, Cliff; Andolina, Molly; Jenkins, Krista
Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE)
This study describes the civic and political behavior of the American public, with a special focus on youth ages 15 to 25. Using an extensive national telephone survey of 3,246 respondents, the authors describe what citizens are doing, and how often they are doing it. They look at a panorama of 19 core activities--ranging from voting to volunteering to signing petitions--and at many other political attitudes and behaviors. The report describes these activities, who is doing them, and how they vary by age group. Findings include: (1) Younger cohorts trail their elders in attentiveness to public affairs and in electoral participation, but hold their own in community-related and volunteer activities that give voice to their concerns; (2) There are two distinct modes of engagement--civic and political--and many choose to walk only one road, with evidence for a wide generation schism in the choice Americans make; (3) Young people respond to school-based initiatives and other invitations to involvement; and (4) Members of the Generation DotNet cohort are more willing than older Americans to see government play a larger role in their lives and the life of the country, and are significantly more accepting of homosexuality and more positive toward immigrants. (Contains 27 figures, 13 tables, and 7 footnotes.) [This report was produced by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE).]
Descriptors: Political Attitudes, Citizenship Education, Telephone Surveys, Youth, Group Behavior, Citizen Participation, Age Differences, Voting, Volunteers, National Surveys, Behavior Patterns, Activism, Comparative Analysis, Consumer Economics, Public Opinion, Political Influences, Family Influence, School Role, Social Bias, Trust Responsibility (Government), Young Adults, Older Adults
Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE). University of Maryland, School of Public Policy, 2101 Van Munching Hall, College Park, MD 20742. Tel: 301-405-2790; Web site: http://www.civicyouth.org
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Pew Charitable Trusts, Philadelphia, PA.
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United States
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A