The Correlation Between Education and Participation or Interest in Politics

936 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: What is the relationship of democracy to education

Does level of education affect political participation? This is not something that is new to the realm of academia, nor is it a concept that stirs up much controversy. It is however a topic which many have approached from different angles. They vary in research, method and in what they seek to prove, but are unified by the correlation between education and political participation. Education is defined as the level of formal education or skills training received. Political participation is the level that an individual contributed to a democratic system, such as voting, researching a political issue or participating in a political party. While this is the main relationship that this essay will be focusing on, the perceived positive relationship between income and political participation will also be discussed.

The claim that education positively correlates with political participation and is, “beyond dispute, and indeed is one of the most robust observations in the political science literature: people who have had more education take a more active role in politics and have more clearly defined political identities.” (Elmer and Frazer, 1991). What exactly causes education to have a significant affect on political participation does however require more debate. Higher levels of education, would appear to better equips people to understand the complex and abstract concepts of democracy and how our political system functions. This seems to be especially true when the student’s education involves verbal skills development, social science curriculum and civic skills (Hillygus, 2005). This concept is sometimes referred to as the education effect and finds level of educational attainment to be correlated to intention to vote, e...

... middle of paper ...

...I. The Empirical Facts”. Public Choice. Vol. 11. 101-106.

Hillygus, D. Sunshine. 2005.“The Missing Link: Exploring the Relationship Between Higher Education and Political Engagement”. Political Behavior. Vol. 25. 25-37.

Holland, Paul W. 1986. ‘‘Statistics and Causal Inference.’’ Journal of the American Statistical Association 81 (396): 945–60.

Kam, C. D. and Palmer, C. L. 2008. “Reconsidering the Effects of Education on Political Participation”. Journal of Politics. 70(3), 612-631.

Mayer, Alexander K. 2011. “Does Education Increase Political Participation”. Journal of Politics. 73(3), 633-645.

Russell, P. Keith. 1972. “Political Participation and Income Level: An Exchange”. Public Choice. Vol. 13. 113-114.

Verba, S.1993. “Race ethnicity and political resources: participation in the United States”. British Journal of Political Science. 23. 453-497.

Show More
Related

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Not By Math Alone

    677 Words  | 2 Pages

    On the national civics assessment, “two-thirds of 12th graders scored below ‘proficient’…and only 9 percent could list two ways a democracy benefits from citizen participation” (O’Connor and Romer 4). The information provided clarifies just how little students know about democracy. Without education on the subject, they are unaware as to how their government contribution is beneficial and why it is needed in the first place. The students, because of their lack of understanding, therefore choose to not take part in their government and fail to carry out their duties as a citizen. The authors provide more research that shows “the better people understand our history and system of government, the more likely they are to vote and participate in the civic life” (O’Connor and Romer 8).

    Read More

  • Racial Segregation and Prejudice in ZZ Packer's Brownies

    1109 Words  | 3 Pages

    Wilkins, Roger. “Racism.” Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 572 (2000): 159. Sage Publications, Inc. Web. 25 Mar. 2014

    Read More

  • The Big Tilt Mandatory Inequality In America Summary

    1032 Words  | 3 Pages

    “In a meaningful democracy, the people’s voice must be clear and loud – clear so that policy makers understand citizen concerns and loud so that they have an incentive to pay attention. (Verba)” There is no doubt there exists a severe inequality in the participation of the American political process. Kay Lehman Schlozman, Sidney Verba and Henry Brady, a trio of university professors, set out to explain that it is not about how many people participate in our democratic process, it is about who is taking part. In the article: “The Big Tilt: Participatory Inequality in America,” published in the liberal non-profit magazine The American Prospect, the authors conclude that political participation is not equal amongst the social and economical classes in America. Verba, Schlozman and Brady begin building credibility by referencing their own book while also citing

    Read More

  • Plato, Alexis De Tocqueville And Frederick Douglass

    867 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many great thinkers have brought up questions, theories and even arguments as to whether there is a direct correlation between education, as a whole, and political freedom. The answer is yes, but this varies. An individual might need various forms of education, depending on their situation as well as success in executing his education in an effective way. Yet while some political philosophers adopted this correlation, others did not, and some even stray form it. Three such men were Plato, Alexis de Tocqueville and Frederick Douglass.

    Read More

  • Implementing Compulsory Voting in Canada

    1732 Words  | 4 Pages

    Loewen, P. J., Milner, H., & Hicks, B. M. (1997). Does Compulsory Voting Lead To More Informed and Engaged Citizens? An Experimental Test. Canadian Journal of Political Science, 41(3), 655-672. Retrieved from http://journals1.scholarsportal.info.proxy.bib.uottawa.ca/tmp/44514596344978336.pdf

    Read More

  • The Deep Democracy In America Summary

    780 Words  | 2 Pages

    There is an intrinsic divide in American democracy, with the educated politicals on one side and the less educated politicals on the other side. It shows the deep estrangement that wounds both ways. The less educated fear they are being governed by a bunch of intellectual snobs that know nothing of their lives and experiences. The educated fear their fate hangs in the hands of a bunch of obtuse, know-nothings who have an unimpressive and illiterate

    Read More

  • Voting Participation in the United States

    1081 Words  | 3 Pages

    Among the many ways Americans can participate in politics, voting is considered one of the most common and important ways for Americans to get involved. The outcome of any election, especially at the national level, determines who will be making and enforcing the laws that all Americans must abide by. With this in mind one might assume that all Americans are active voters, but studies show the voter turnout is actually astonishingly low. With this unsettling trend it is important to know what statistics say about voter turnout as was as the four major factors that influence participation: Socioeconomic status, education, political environment, and state electoral laws, in order to help boost turnout in future elections.

    Read More

  • A Rhetorical Analysis Of America's Ignorant Voter

    532 Words  | 2 Pages

    I am responding to Micheal Schudson’s essay titled “America’s Ignorant Voter”. He makes several arguments against whether America having relatively ignorant voters poses a problem to our society, and whether it’s becoming worse over the years. One of the arguments he poses as to why Americans seem so clueless about political matters is due to the complexities of our nation’s political institutions.

    Read More

  • school reform

    789 Words  | 2 Pages

    The cycle of low scholastic achievement is so prevalent in poverty stricken communities is the benefit the political system. The politicians continue to keep their jobs and political power and education is power. This is accomplished because illiteracy inhibits the knowledge required to vote for a qualified candidate for office. “Economies with low or high levels of education can escape the poverty trap, and inequality plays a key role in determining whether this occurs through a change in institutions or an expansion of education”Eicher.Garcia-Penalosa and Tanguy van Ypersele,p207.

    Read More

  • Quantitative Study Article Critique

    1238 Words  | 3 Pages

    Renaud, R. (2014a, April 10). Unit 10 - Understanding Statistical Inferences [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from the University of Manitoba EDUA-5800-D01 online course materials.

    Read More

  • Live and Learn: Why we have college by Louis Menand

    1106 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hutcheson, P. (2011). Goals for United States higher education: from democracy to globalisation. History Of Education, 40(1), 45-57.

    Read More

  • Why Young People Do Not Vote?

    993 Words  | 2 Pages

    Green, Donald. "Youth Voting” THE CENTER FOR INFORMATION & RESEARCH ON CIVIC LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENT. Tufts University, 2012. Web. 02 Oct 2013. .

    Read More

  • Assimilation Theory

    1833 Words  | 4 Pages

    Aguirre, Adalberto, and Jonathan H. Turner. American Ethnicity: The Dynamics and Consequences of Discrimination. 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Political Efficacycy

    4030 Words  | 9 Pages

    Such factors are their educational background, socioeconomic status, gender and other demographics. There will be a definite difference between a person who has an excellent academic background and a person who does not have such qualification. In the same way, socioeconomic status of a person also decides how well a person engages politically (Riedel and Sullivan, 2001). For instance, an individual who comes from a very lower class will not pay heed to political system of the country because his basic concern is to feed his children and family. His priorities will be different from a person who has all basic necessities. In the same way a middle aged person who has an adequate knowledge and experience regarding the political system of a country and a young person who is just an amateur will have significant differences of political attitudes and political efficacy. So attitudes and experiences also affect the political efficacy and ultimately the voting behaviors of the individuals (Sheerin and Celia Anne, 2007). Mass Media is one of the tools to build these attitudes and political

    Read More

  • Political socialization

    740 Words  | 2 Pages

    Political socialization as defined by the University of Texas at Austin is “the process by which individuals acquire beliefs, values, and habits of thought and action related to government, politics, and society” (3.1). Individuals are taught the dominant values of their societies by religion, parents, teachers, pastors, siblings, churches, friends, and many others. One then obtains the feeling of self-evidence of these truths based on the plights of those who are closest to them imploring them of these truths almost from birth. Perhaps a couple of the most popular or effective agents of socialization are religion and higher education. Although most are not aware this process of socialization is taking place, we inevitably form our opinions and truths of political beliefs based on those in closest proximity to us as children.

    Read More

More about The Correlation Between Education and Participation or Interest in Politics

Open Document