The 2006 Civic and Political Health of the Nation Survey A Detailed Look at How Youth Participate in Politics and Commun

1. The 2006 Civic and Political Health of the Nation SurveyA Detailed Look at How Youth Participate in Politics and Communities Mark Hugo Lopez Karlo Barrios Marcelo Washington, D.C. October 3, 2006 Abby Kiesa Karlo Marcelo

2. Project Goal • To measure civic engagement of young people ages 15 to 25 and adults • To measure the attitudes of young people towards civic engagement, government, politics and elections, and tolerance Abby Kiesa Karlo Marcelo

3. Presentation Outline • Survey Background • 19 Core Indicators of Engagement • Major Findings • Race and Ethnicity • Confidence in Government • Political Knowledge • Tolerance • Partisanship • Generation “Uniqueness” Abby Kiesa Karlo Marcelo

4. The 2006 Civic and Political Health of the Nation Survey • Conducted from April 27 to June 11 • 1,700 Young People ages 15 to 25 • 550 Adults 26 and older • Over-samples of young Latinos, African-Americans, and Asian-Americans • Margin of error ±2.6 percentage points • Replication of 2002 CPHS by Keeter et. al. Abby Kiesa Karlo Marcelo

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6. Civic Measures Community problem solving Regular Volunteering Active Group Membership Participation in fundraising run/walk/ride Other fundraising Electoral Measures Regular Voting Persuading Others Displaying buttons, signs, stickers Campaign Contributions Volunteering for a candidate or political organization 19 Core Indicators of Engagement Abby Kiesa Karlo Marcelo

7. Indicators of Political Voice Contacting Officials Contacting the Print Media Contacting the Broadcast Media Protesting Signed E-mail petitions Signed Written petitions Boycotting Buycotting Canvassing 19 Core Indicators of Engagement (cont’d) Abby Kiesa Karlo Marcelo

8. There is Broad Engagement… • Engagement among young people 15-25 • 26% say they vote regularly • 35% say they tried to persuade others • 36% say they volunteered • 30% boycotted • 11% have protested in last year • On average 3.7 activities in past year • Over 80% have engaged in at least one activity Abby Kiesa Karlo Marcelo

9. Five Most Common Activities Abby Kiesa Karlo Marcelo

10. Five Most Common Activities Abby Kiesa Karlo Marcelo

11. Yet some are disengaged • 58% have done 1 or fewer electoral or civic activities in past year • 17% have done none of 19 activities Abby Kiesa Karlo Marcelo

12. A Typology of Engagement Among 15 to 25s Disengaged Civic Specialist Electoral Specialist Dual Activist Abby Kiesa Karlo Marcelo

13. How Do Youth and Adults Compare? Abby Kiesa Karlo Marcelo

14. Major Findings: Race and Ethnicity • African-Americans are the most POLITICALLY engaged • Asian-Americans are highly engaged in civic activities • Young Latinos are least engaged, however 25% have protested • Young Whites are neither most nor least engaged Abby Kiesa Karlo Marcelo

15. Civic Typology by Race/Ethnicity, Ages 15 to 25, 2006 Abby Kiesa Karlo Marcelo

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17. Confidence in Government is down • Young people are more supportive of government than adults • Two thirds believe “government should do more to solve problems” However: • Plurality says that government is “almost always wasteful and inefficient”, up 19 points over 2002 Abby Kiesa Karlo Marcelo

18. Change in Confidence in Government 2002 and 2006 15 to 25 26 and older Abby Kiesa Karlo Marcelo

19. Change in Confidence in Government 2002 and 2006 15 to 25 26 and older Abby Kiesa Karlo Marcelo

20. Change in Confidence in Government 2002 and 2006 15 to 25 26 and older Abby Kiesa Karlo Marcelo

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22. Political Knowledge is Low • 53% are unaware that only citizens can vote in federal elections • Only 30% can correctly name at least one member of the President’s Cabinet • Only 34% know that the U.S. has a permanent seat on the UN Security Council Abby Kiesa Karlo Marcelo

23. Most Engaged have Higher Level of Political Knowledge Abby Kiesa Karlo Marcelo

24. Electoral Engagement and Political Knowledge Abby Kiesa Karlo Marcelo

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26. Young People Are Tolerant • But somewhat less so than 2002 • Remain more favorable toward immigrants and gays than their elders • 67% say they have confronted someone who said something they considered offensive, such as a racist or other prejudiced comment. Abby Kiesa Karlo Marcelo

27. Acceptance of Gays 15 to 25 26 and older Abby Kiesa Karlo Marcelo

28. Acceptance of Immigrants 15 to 25 26 and older Abby Kiesa Karlo Marcelo

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30. Partisanship • Since 2002, fewer young people lean towards the Republican Party • 47% Democrat (no change) • 28% Republican (3 point drop) • 24% Independent (2 point gain) Abby Kiesa Karlo Marcelo

31. 2002 and 2006 Partisanship 15 to 25 26 and older Abby Kiesa Karlo Marcelo

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33. Fewer Young People See Their Generation as Unique • 59% say their generation is unique (10 point drop) • Among young people who are 19 to 29 today (and were 15 to 25 in 2002), 56% say their generation is unique today. This is down 13 points from 2002. Abby Kiesa Karlo Marcelo

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35. Summary of Major Findings • Young people are broadly engaged in their communities • However a sizeable group is not engaged • Young African-Americans are most politically engaged • Though young Latinos report lowest engagement Abby Kiesa Karlo Marcelo

36. Summary of Major Findings • Political Knowledge is low, though the engaged exhibit more political knowledge • Confidence in government is down • Acceptance of gays and immigrants is lower today Abby Kiesa Karlo Marcelo

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