Digital Media and Political Inequality among Youth

CERGCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College

Joseph KahneMills CollegeFebruary 25, 2009

For more information

Joseph Kahnejkahne@mills.eduwww.civicsurvey.org

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?

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

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!

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

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)

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

Adult Civic Knowledge: Room for Improvement

38% of adults could name the three branches of government

59% could name the three Stooges

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)

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

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

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)

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)

Can Education Help?

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

Promising Educational Practices1. Instruction in Gov’t, History, Econ2. Discussions of Current Events3. Service Learning4. Extracurricular Activities5. Student Voice in Schools and

Classrooms6. Simulations

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.

0.14 *** 0.13 ***

0.05 *

Parent/Student Talk NeighborhoodSocial Capital

School Sense of Belonging

Civic Community Variables

t Effe

sExperiencing Civic Community Promotes Civic Commitments

0.39 ***

0.2 ***

0.34 ***

Service Learning

Classroom Civic LearningOpportunities

Civic CommitmentsIn 2003

Civic Learning Variables

Classroom-Based Civic Learning Opportunities MATTER

Schools Could Alter Inequality

"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

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

Informedto

VoteCivicSkills

PoliticalKnowledge

PoliticalInterest

Classroom-Based Instruction Gov, Hist, Law Current Events Open Class ClimateExperiential Learning Opportunities Service Learning Extracurricular Activities Simulations

Statistically significant

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

Education can Promote Civic and Political EngagementDoes education promote more equitable civic and political engagement?

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

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

Compared with white students, Latino students report:

Fewer opportunities for service learning

A less open classroom climateFewer experiences with role plays and simulations

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

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

Education can Promote EngagementBut desirable learning opportunities are inequitably distributed and likely exacerbate inequality.

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

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)

Consumption MattersInformsLeads to interest and discussion

Can lead the production of information

Fosters engagement

Frequency of Digital Participation?

64% of teens engage in online content creation

28% have there own online journal or blog (Lenhart, et al., 2007).

Participation Matters

Develops skillsNorms of participation

Frequency of Digital Game Play?

We asked 1,102 young people if they had played a video game

39 said “No”

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

Civilization

Frequency of Digital Civic Education? Teachers are engaging in digital civic education.

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

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).

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.

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.

Digital Civic Education is Equitably Distributed.No differences in frequency of these experiences by race, gender, SES, or academic achievement.

Digital Media may facilitate Recruitment.Ease of recruitment shapes college/non-college gap.

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.

Implications

Your Thoughts, Questions, …

Digital Media and Political Inequality among Youth

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