Education, early life, and political participation: New evidence from a sibling model. (September 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Burden, Barry C.; Herd, Pamela; Jones, Bradley M.; Moynihan, Donald P.
• Is Part Of: Research & politics. Volume 7:Number 3(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-09
• Subjects: Political participation -- voter turnout -- education; Political science -- Periodicals; 320.05
• DOI: 10.1177/2053168020958319
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2053-1680

Abstract

Although educational attainment is one of the strongest correlates of mass political participation, researchers disagree about whether it has a causal impact on voter turnout. One prominent theory proposes the observed correlation between higher educational attainment and political participation is spurious, largely reflecting early-life factors such as genetics, family resources, and parental values. To test this claim we analyze siblings in a longitudinal survey to control for the pre-adult environmental effects on official measures of turnout among older adults. We find some support for spurious effects of education, particularly in a midterm election where the most politically engaged individuals are mobilized. Because patterns of political engagement are formed in childhood, early-life experiences may be more influential in midterm elections where fewer stimuli and resources are present to mobilize voters.