Political scientists and sociologists have long established significant differences in civic engagement between women and men. Utilizing data from the 2006 Civic and Political Health of the Nation Survey, and several other sources, new information is provided on the civic engagement of youth, confidence in government, and following public affairs…

The turnout rate of America's youngest eligible voters is distressingly low, and it is vital to assess the factors associated with a commitment to participating in the electoral process. High school juniors (N = 133) were surveyed to see how a variety of factors would predict political efficacy. One week later, participants were randomly assigned…

Social cohesion is a concept difficult to define and to measure. As there can be many definitions, so there can be many measurements. The main problem, either in defining or measuring the concept, is its multilevel and multidimensional nature. At one extreme, "country" is the most commonly used level to view social cohesion but…

We present new evidence on the civic engagement of immigrants and the children of immigrant parents (ages 15 to 25). Utilizing the 2006 Civic and Political Health of the Nation Survey conducted by CIRCLE, we find that young immigrants report lower levels of civic engagement on most measures compared to natives. However, once observable demographic…

This article examines why some black Southerners but not others were politically active during the early stages of the civil rights movement. Using a survey of more than 600 black Southerners in 1961, we investigate whether perceptions about opportunity or threat, politicized social capital and individual orientations toward social change shaped…

This Oregon curriculum resource guide about elections is intended for use by secondary social studies teachers who may already be teaching about elections, but need additional information and ideas to integrate into their classes. The guide is organized so that teachers may select individual lessons and activities to use in the existing…

This basic voter resource book can be used as the basis for a self-contained unit or as a supplement to the Young Voter Campaign of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Materials, which are suitable for use in secondary social studies, government, and history courses, are divided into five parts. Following an introduction, Part…

This material is produced to provide a program to instruct secondary level students in the political, governmental, and legal processes and to encourage active student participation in these processes. The materials draw heavily upon community cooperation as a base for practical learning. Part of a year-long curriculum, this unit focusing on voter…

This booklet deals with three ways in which to be an active citizen in a democracy: voting, communicating with elected officials, and volunteering. Words about citizenship that may be new to the reader are in bold print and underlined; a word box at the top of the page provides the meaning of specially marked words on that page. Part 1 on voting…

Results of a research project which hypothisized that: Other things being equal, the heavier a candidate's usage of broadcast advertising in a primary election campaign, the greater will be his share of the votes in the election. (Author/HB)

Results of a research project which hypothisized that: Other things being equal, the heavier a candidate's usage of broadcast advertising in a primary election campaign, the greater will be his share of the votes in the election. (Author/HB)

A critical national problem facing the United States is the steady decline in voting of the citizenry. Surveys of the 44 largest public school systems from across the country and of 100 corporations from the Fortune 500 group as well as individual interviews and roundtable discussions with teachers, executives, members of Congress, local and state…

To help educators and community members design and conduct community council elections, this book describes six successful election projects conducted in midwestern communities in response to federal Teacher Corps regulations. The projects exhibit a variety of approaches and were conducted in varied settings with limited resources. The first…

To investigate the temporally ordered process in image and issue learning as it affects the voting decision, a study conducted a secondary analysis of panel survey data from Wisconsin during the 1976 presidential elections. The study hypothesized that, because of the difficulty in understanding complex issues, voters rely on image evaluations for…

Voter behavior is assessed toward female candidates for state legislatures in six states during 1970 to 1980. The sample consisted of 4,910 female and male candidates in state legislative elections to the lower house in Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Wyoming. The relationship of party, incumbency, and urban or rural residency…