Trends and Motivations for Youth Political Behavior

Abstract

By Mitchell Isler, Political Science

Advisor: Stephen Mockabee

Presentation ID: Room425_4

Abstract: For my senior thesis in political science, I examine the political behavior of young people through both empirical data - drawn primarily from the American National Election Studies (ANES) - and qualitative data in the form of interviews conducted with politically interested students on campus at the University of Cincinnati. I study the ways in which young people differ from older people in political ideology and behavior, and I determine some of the factors that may be related to youth participation in the political process. I compare public opinion data from the ANES with regard to age cohort to determine the association between age and ideology. I also include separate logistic regression analyses for voting among 18- to 29-year-olds and among those age 30 or older; using this, I discuss differences and similarities in factors for voting in each age group. My interviews contain more in-depth questions and serve to provide explanation for any trends I find in empirical data, as well as provide areas of study that may require further attention. My faculty advisor for this research is Dr. Stephen Mockabee.