A New Engagement? Political Participation, Civic Life, and the Changing American Citizen

by Zukin, Cliff; Keeter, Scott; Andolina, Molly; Jenkins, Krista; Delli Carpini, Michael X.

• ISBN13: 9780195183177
• ISBN10: 0195183177
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-05-18
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

In searching for answers as to why young people differ vastly from their parents and grandparents when it comes to turning out the vote, A New Engagement challenges the conventional wisdom that today's youth is plagued by a severe case of political apathy. In order to understand the current nature of citizen engagement, it is critical to separate political from civic engagement. Using the results from an original set of surveys and the authors' own primary research, they conclude that while older citizens participate by voting, young people engage by volunteering and being active in their communities.

Author Biography

Cliff Zukin is Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at Rutgers University. He is President of the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR). Scott Keeter is Director of Survey Research at the Pew Research Center in Washington, DC. Molly W. Andolina is Assistant Professor of Political Science at DePaul University. Krista Jenkins is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Michael X. Delli Carpini is Walter H. Annenberg Dean of the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania.

Table of Contents

Introduction	3	(14)
The Civic-Political Divide	5	(5)
Generational Replacement and the Changing Nature of Citizen Engagement	10	(2)
Plan of the Book	12	(1)
The Cast of Characters	13	(4)
Coming of Age in a Post-Boomer World	17	(32)
Growing Up After the Boom: Key Events and Trends	22	(2)
Xer Life at Home and in School: Turmoil and Risks	24	(2)
Xers' Political Socialization: Government Ineptitude and Scandal	26	(5)
Economic Realities: No Safety Net	31	(2)
The New Media Environment: Non-News Options	33	(1)
After the Boom: The Xer Bust	34	(1)
A Generation of Slackers?	35	(1)
Raising DotNets: Time, Attention, and Money	36	(4)
Politics and Government: Mixed Messages	40	(4)
Millennial Rising or GenX Redux?	44	(4)
Youth Generations: Refraction and Reflection	48	(1)
Engagement in Public Life	49	(40)
The Multifaceted Nature of Public Engagement	50	(1)
Political versus Civic Engagement	51	(2)
Devolution and the Growing Importance of the Civic Sector	53	(1)
Public Voice and Cognitive Engagement	54	(1)
Methods and Data	54	(2)
Our Measures	56	(3)
An Overview of Engagement in Public Life in the United States	59	(1)
How Much Engagement?	59	(4)
A Simple Typology of Civic and Political Engagement	63	(2)
The Relationship of Civic and Political Engagement with Voice and Cognitive Engagement	65	(1)
Public Engagement by Age: A View across the Generations	66	(2)
Political Activities	68	(4)
Civic Activities	72	(3)
Public Voice	75	(2)
A Closer Look at Political Consumerism	77	(4)
Cognitive Engagement	81	(4)
Summarizing Age-Related Patterns in Public Engagement	85	(4)
Through the Looking Glass: Attitudes toward Public Engagement through a Prism of Cohorts	89	(32)
Why Young People Do Not Participate in the Electoral Arena	90	(4)
Looking Inward: How People See Themselves as Citizens	94	(10)
Looking Outward: How People See Their Fellow Citizens, Politics, and Government	104	(4)
Views of the Political System: Of Politics, Government, and Efficacy	108	(1)
Views of Politics	109	(5)
The Role and Functioning of Government	114	(4)
Political Efficacy and Empowerment	118	(1)
Summary and Conclusions	119	(2)
Generational Pathways to Participation	121	(34)
What Helps People Participate? Modeling Citizen Engagement	124	(9)
The Path to Participation: Putting the Pieces Together	133	(5)
A Closer Look at Youth	138	(1)
School-Based Opportunities for Engagement	139	(2)
Pathways to Participation among Youth	141	(1)
Charity Begins at Home	141	(1)
Lessons from the Schools: Practice, Practice, Practice	142	(2)
Schools and Volunteering: The Impact of Carrots and Sticks	144	(1)
School Organizational Affiliations: Political Training Grounds	145	(1)
Other Intermediaries: Creating Connections	146	(1)
Predicting Engagement among High School Students: The Big Picture	147	(5)
A Note on College Students	152	(1)
Conclusion	153	(2)
Where Do Young People Stand Politically?	155	(30)
Youth Today: Change with Continuity	157	(1)
Partisanship and Politics	158	(3)
General Orientations about the Public and Private Sectors	161	(2)
Attitudes about National Security	163	(1)
Attitudes about Social Welfare Programs and Spending	164	(2)
Support for Environmental Protection	166	(1)
Social Issues and Values	166	(4)
Cohort Change over Time	170	(1)
Gauging Cohort Change	171	(1)
General Orientations	172	(2)
Economics, Business, Regulation	174	(3)
Social Issues and Race	177	(3)
National Security and Defense	180	(1)
Conclusion	181	(4)
Civic Engagement, Political Engagement, and Generational Change	185	(26)
Civic and Political Engagement in Contemporary America: An Age-Based Portrait	188	(3)
How Political Is Civic Activity? How Political Are Civic Activists?	191	(9)
Looking into the Future: The Relative Importance of Life Cycle and Generational Effects	200	(3)
Shaping the Future: Pathways to Civic and Political Engagement	203	(4)
Conclusions	207	(4)
Appendix	211	(14)
Notes	225	(10)
Bibliography	235	(10)
Index	245