Top

Gepubliceerd in:

03-09-2016 | Empirical Research

The Kids are All Right? Income Inequality and Civic Engagement among Our Nation’s Youth

Auteurs: Erin B. Godfrey, Hua-Yu Sebastian Cherng

Gepubliceerd in: Journal of Youth and Adolescence | Uitgave 11/2016

Abstract

Prior work suggests that income inequality depresses civic participation among adults. However, associations between income inequality and youth civic engagement have not been assessed. This is true despite evidence that other features of communities influence youth civic development. To fill the gap, we examine associations between county-level income inequality and civic engagement among a nationally representative sample of 12,240 15-year-olds (50 % female). We find opposite patterns than those suggested by the adult literature. Higher county-level income inequality is associated with slightly more civic engagement (greater importance of helping others, higher rates of volunteering often), and this is particularly true for low-socioeconomic status and racial/ethnic minority youth. Potential developmental and structural explanations for these differences are offered. In addition, practical implications of these findings are drawn, and future research directions for scholars studying youth are proposed.

vorige artikel Warm and Supportive Parenting Can Discourage Offspring’s Civic Engagement in the Transition to Adulthood

volgende artikel Youth’s Initiations of Civic and Political Discussions in Class: Do Youth’s Perceptions of Teachers’ Behaviors Matter and Why?

Gini coefficients range from 0 to 1. Zero reflects perfect equality where every household in a given geographic area earns the same income. One indicates absolute inequality where a single household earns all the income in a given geographic area. According to the CIA’s world factbook, the Gini coefficient for the United States is 45.0.

The percentage of observations missing covariates ranged from 0 % to 14 %.

Results of sensitivity analyses are available from the primary author.

Individuals under 18 are approximately one-quarter of the US population. In 2010, there were 3143 counties and a population of approximately 318 million.

Ainsworth-Darnell, J. W., & Downey, D. B. (1998). Assessing the oppositional culture explanation for racial/ethnic differences in school performance. American Sociological Review, 63(4), 536–553.

Alesina, A., & La Ferrara, E. (2000). Participation in heterogeneous communities. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 115, 847–858.CrossRef

Ananat, E. O., Gassman-Pines, A., & Gibson-Davis, C. (2013). Community-wide job loss and teenage fertility: Evidence from North Carolina. Demography, 50(6), 2151–2171.PubMedCrossRef

Ananat, E. O., Gassman-Pines, A., & Gibson-Davis, C. M. (2011). The effects of local employment losses on children’s educational achievement. In G. J. Duncan & R. Murnane (Eds.), Whither opportunity? Rising inequality and the uncertain life chances of low-income children (pp. 299–313). New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

Andersen, R., Burgoon, B., & van de Werfhorst, H. (2014). Inequality, legitimacy, and the political system. In W. Salverda, B. Nolan, D. Checchi, I. Marx. A. McKnight, I. G. Toth & H. van der Werfhorst (Eds.) Changing inequalities in rich countries: Analytical and comparative perspectives (pp. 218–238). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

APSA Task Force on Inequality and American Democracy. (2004). American democracy in an age of rising inequality. Perspectives on Politics, 2, 651–689.CrossRef

Atkins, R., & Hart, D. (2003). Neighborhoods, adults, and the development of civic identity in urban youth. Applied Developmental Science, 7(3), 156–164.CrossRef

Benson, P. L., Scales, P. C., & Syvertsen, A. K. (2010). The contribution of the developmental assets framework to positive youth development theory and practice. Advances in Child Development and Behavior, 41, 197–230.CrossRef

Brown, B. B., & Larson, J. (2009). Peer relationships in adolescence. In R. M. Lerner & L. Steinberg (Eds.), Handbook of adolescent psychology: Vol. 2. Contextual influences on adolescent development (3rd ed., pp. 74–103). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Burrow, A. L., O’dell, A. C., & Hill, P. L. (2010). Profiles of a developmental asset: Youth purpose as a context for hope and well-being. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 39(11), 1265–1273.PubMedCrossRef

Corneo, G. (2011). Income inequality, value systems, and macroeconomic performance (GINI DP 17). AIAS, Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies.

Damon, W., Menon, J., & Cotton Bronk, K. (2003). The development of purpose during adolescence. Applied Developmental Science, 7(3), 119–128.CrossRef

Desilver, D. (2013). Global inequality: How the U.S. compares. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/12/19/global-inequality-how-the-u-s-compares/.

Diemer, M. A. (2009). Pathways to occupational attainment among poor youth of color: The role of sociopolitical development. The Counseling Psychologist, 37(1), 6–35.CrossRef

Diemer, M. A., & Blustein, D.L. (2006). Critical consciousness and career development among urban youth. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 68(2), 220–232.CrossRef

Diemer, M. A., & Li, C. H. (2011). Critical consciousness development and political participation among marginalized youth. Child Development, 82(6), 1815–1833.

Diemer, M. A., & Rapa, L. J. (2016). Unraveling the complexity of critical consciousness, political efficacy, and political action among marginalized adolescents. Child development, 87(1), 221–238.PubMedCrossRef

Diemer, M. A., Kauffman, A., Koenig, N., Trahan, E., & Hsieh, C. A. (2006). Challenging racism, sexism, and social injustice: Support for urban adolescents’ critical consciousness development. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 12(3), 444–460.PubMedCrossRef

Diemer, M. A., Wang, Q., Moore, T., Gregory, S. R., Hatcher, K. M., & Voight, A. M. (2010). Sociopolitical development, work salience, and vocational expectations among low socioeconomic status African American, Latin American, and Asian American youth. Developmental Psychology, 46(3), 619–635.PubMedCrossRef

Duke, N. N., Skay, C. L., Pettingell, S. L., & Borowsky, I. W. (2009). From adolescent connections to social capital: Predictors of civic engagement in young adulthood. Journal of Adolescent Health, 44(2), 161–168.PubMedCrossRef

Erikson, E. (1968). Identity: Youth and crisis. New York: Norton.

Finlay, A. K., Flanagan, C., & Wray-Lake, L. (2011). Civic engagement patterns and transitions over 8 years: The AmeriCorps national study. Developmental psychology, 47(6), 1728.PubMedCrossRef

Flanagan, C., & Levine, P. (2010). Civic engagement and the transition to adulthood. The Future of Children, 20(1), 159–179.PubMedCrossRef

Flanagan, C. A., & Christens, B. D. (2011). Youth civic development: Historical context and emerging issues. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 2011(134), 1–9.PubMedCrossRef

Flanagan, C. A., & Tucker, C. J. (1999). Adolescents’ explanations for political issues: Concordance with their views of self and society. Developmental Psychology, 35(5), 1198.PubMedCrossRef

Flanagan, C .A., Cumsille, P., Gill, S., & Gallay, L. S. (2007). School and community climates and civic commitments: Patterns for ethnic minority and majority students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99(2), 421–431.CrossRef

Flanagan, C. A., Kim, T., Pykett, A., Finlay, A., Gallay, E. E., & Pancer, M. (2014). Adolescents’ theories about economic inequality: Why are some people poor while others are rich? Developmental Psychology, 50(11), 2512.PubMedCrossRef

Gassman‐Pines, A., Gibson‐Davis, C. M., & Ananat, E. O. (2015). How economic downturns affect children’s development: An interdisciplinary perspective on pathways of influence. Child Development Perspectives.

Gibson, C., & Levine, P. (2003). The Civic Mission of Schools. New York and Washington DC: Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Gimpel, J. G., Lay, J. C., & Schuknecht, J. E. (2003). Cultivating democracy: Civic environments and political socialization in America. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.

Giuliano, P., & Spilimbergo, A. (2014). Growing up in a recession. The Review of Economic Studies, 81(2), 787–817.CrossRef

Godfrey, E. B., & Grayman, J. K. (2014). Teaching citizens: The role of open classroom climate in fostering critical consciousness among youth. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 43(11), 1801–1817.PubMedCrossRef

Hart, D., & Atkins, R. (2002). Civic competence in urban youth. Applied Developmental Science, 6, 227–236.CrossRef

Hart, D., Donnelly, T. M., Youniss, J., & Atkins, R. (2007). High school community service as a predictor of adult voting and volunteering. American Educational Research Journal, 44(1), 197–219.CrossRef

Harter, S. (1986). Processes underlying the enhancement of the selfconcept in children. In J. Suis & A. Greenald (Eds.), Psychological perspectives on the self (pp. 136–182). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Harter, S., Stocker, C., & Robinson, N. S. (1996). The perceived directionality of the link between approval and self-worth: The liabilities of a looking glass self-orientation among young adolescents. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 6, 285–308.

Ingels, S. J., Pratt, D. J., Rogers, J. E., Siegel, P. H., & Stutts, E. S. (2004). Education longitudinal study of 2002: Base year data file user’s manual. NCES 2004-405. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.

Inhelder, B., & Piaget, J. (1958). The growth of logical thinking from childhood to adolescence. New York, NY: Basic Books.CrossRef

Jost, J. T., Banaji, M. R., & Nosek, B. A. (2004). A decade of system justification theory: Accumulated evidence of conscious and unconscious bolstering of the status quo. Political Psychology, 25(6), 881–919.CrossRef

Jost, J. T., & van der Toorn, J. (2012). System justification theory. In P. A. M. van Lange, A. W. Kruglanski & E. T. Higgins (Eds.), Handbook of Theories of Social Psychology (Vol. 2 pp. 313–343). London, UK: Sage.

Kahne, J., & Middaugh, E. (2009). Democracy for some: The unequal provision of civic learning opportunities in U.S. high schools. In J. Youniss & P. Levine (Eds.), Engaging young people in civic life. Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt University Press.

Kahne, J. E., & Sporte, S. E. (2008). Developing citizens: The impact of civic learning opportunities on students’ commitment to civic participation. American Educational Research Journal, 45(3), 738–766.CrossRef

Kao, G., & Tienda, M. (1995). Optimism and achievement: The educational performance of immigrant youth. Social Science Quarterly, 76(1), 1–19.

Kay, A. C., & Friesen, J. (2011). On social stability and social change: Understanding when system justification does and does not occur. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 20, 60–364.CrossRef

Keeley, B. (2015). How does income inequality affect our lives?. In income inequality: The gap between rich and poor (pp. 63–77). Paris: OECD Publishing.CrossRef

Kuhn, D. (2009). Adolescent thinking. In R. M. Lerner & L. Steinberg (Eds.), Handbook of adolescent psychology: Vol. 1. Individual bases of adolescent development (3rd ed., pp. 152–186). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Lancee, B., & Van de Werfhorst, H. G. (2012). Income inequality and participation: A comparison of 24 European countries. Social science research, 41(5), 1166–1178.PubMedCrossRef

Laursen, B., & Collins, W. A. (2009). Parent–child relationships during adolescence. In R. M. Lerner & L. Steinberg (Eds.), Handbook of adolescent psychology: Vol. 2. Contextual influences on adolescent development (3rd ed., pp. 3–42). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Layte, R., & Whelan, C. (2013). Who feels inferior? A test of the status anxiety hypothesis of social inequalities in health (GINI DP 78). AIAS, Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies.

Lenzi, M., Vieno, A., Perkins, D. D., Santinello, M., Elgar, F.J., Morgan, A., & Mazzardis, S. (2012). Family affluence, school and neighborhood contexts and adolescents’ civic engagement: A cross-national study. American Journal of Community Psychology, 50(1–2), 197–210.PubMedCrossRef

Lerner, R. M., & Steinberg, L. (2009). The scientific study of adolescent development: Historical and contemporary perspectives. In R. M. Lerner & L. Steinberg (Eds.), Handbook of adolescent psychology: Vol. 1. Individual bases of adolescent development (3rd ed., pp. 3–14). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Lerner, R. M., Wang, J., Champine, R. B., Warren, D. J., & Erickson, K. (2014). Development of civic engagement: Theoretical and methodological issues. International Journal of Developmental Science, 8(3–4), 69–79.

Levinson, M. (2010). The civic empowerment gap: Defining the problem and locating solutions. In L. Sherrod, J. Torney-Purta, & C. A. Flanagan (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Civic Engagement (pp. 331–361). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Lister, M. (2007). Institutions, inequality and social norms: Explaining variations in participation. The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 9(1), 20–35.CrossRef

Louie, V. S. (2012). Keeping the immigrant bargain: The costs and rewards of success in America. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation.

Lynch, J. W., Smith, G. D., Kaplan, G. A., & House, J. S. (2000). Income inequality and mortality: importance to health of individual income, psychosocial environment, or material conditions. British Medical Journal, 320(7243), 1200–1204.

Machell, K. A., Disabato, D. J., & Kashdan, T. B. (2016). Buffering the negative impact of poverty on youth: The power of purpose in life. Social Indicators Research, 126(2), 845–861.CrossRef

Marmot, M. (2005). Social determinants of health inequalities. The Lancet, 365(9464), 1099–1104.

Neckerman, K. M., & Torche, F. (2007). Inequality: Causes and consequences. Annual Review of Sociology, 33, 335–357.CrossRef

Nolan, B., Salverda, W., Checchi, D., Marx, I., McKnight, A., Tóth, I. G., & van de Werfhorst, H. G. (Eds.). (2014). Changing inequalities and societal impacts in rich countries: Thirty countries’ experiences. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Pacheco, J. S., & Plutzer, E. (2008). Political participation and cumulative disadvantage: The impact of economic and social hardship on young citizens. Journal of Social Issues, 64(3), 571–593.CrossRef

Paskov, M., & Dewilde, C. (2012). Income inequality and solidarity in Europe’. Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, 30, 415–432.CrossRef

Paskov, M., Gërxhani, K., & van de Werfhorst, H. G. (2013). Income inequality and status anxiety. (GINI DP 78). AIAS, Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies.

Quintana, S. M. (1999). Children’s developmental understanding of ethnicity and race. Applied and Preventive Psychology, 7(1), 27–45.CrossRef

Rarick, J. R. D. & Godfrey, E. B. (2016). Social comparison and inequality in educational settings: A bioecological systems perspective. Manuscript in preparation.

Sandell, J., & Plutzer, E. (2005). Families, divorce and voter turnout in the US. Political Behavior, 27(2), 133–162.CrossRef

Shadish, W. R., Cook, T. D., & Campbell, D. T. (2002). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for generalized causal inference. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company.

Solt, F. (2008). Economic inequality and democratic political engagement. American Journal of Political Science, 52(1), 48–60.CrossRef

Solt, F. (2010). Does economic inequality depress electoral participation? Testing the Schattschneider hypothesis. Political Behavior, 32(2), 285–301.CrossRef

Stepick, A., & Stepick, C. D. (2002). Becoming American, constructing ethnicity: Immigrant youth and civic engagement. Applied Developmental Science, 6(4), 246–257.CrossRef

Stiglitz, J. E. (2012). The price of inequality: How today’s divided society endangers our future. New York: WW Norton and Company.

Syvertsen, A. K., Wray‐Lake, L., Flanagan, C. A., Wayne Osgood, D., & Briddell, L. (2011). Thirty‐year trends in US adolescents’ civic engagement: A story of changing participation and educational differences. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21(3), 586–594.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef

U.S. Census Bureau. (2008). Voting and registration in the election of November 2006. Washington DC: Author.

Uslaner, E. M., & Brown, M. (2005). Inequality, trust, and civic engagement. American Politics Research, 33, 868–894.CrossRef

Verba, S., Schlozman, K., & Burns, N. (2005). Family ties: Understanding the intergenerational transmission of participation. In A. Zuckerman (Ed.) The Social Logic of Politics: Personal networks as contexts for political behavior. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.

Watts, R. J., Diemer, M. A., & Voight, A. M. (2011). Critical consciousness: Current status and future directions. New directions for child and adolescent development, 2011(134), 43–57.PubMedCrossRef

Watts, R. J., & Flanagan, C. (2007). Pushing the envelope on youth civic engagement: A developmental and liberation psychology perspective. Journal of Community Psychology, 35(6), 779–792.CrossRef

Westheimer, J., & Kahne, J. (2004). What kind of citizen? The politics of educating for democracy. American Educational Research Journal, 41(2), 237–269.CrossRef

Wilkinson, R., & Pickett, K. (2010). The spirit level. Why greater equality makes societies stronger. New York: Bloomsbury Press.

Wilkinson, R. G., & Pickett, K. E. (2009). Income inequality and social dysfunction. Annual Review of Sociology, 35, 493–511.CrossRef

Wray-Lake, L., Rote, W. M., Gupta, T., Godfrey, E., & Sirin, S. (2015). Examining correlates of civic engagement among immigrant adolescents in the United States. Research in Human Development, 12(1-2), 10–27.CrossRef

Yates, M., & Youniss, J. (1999). Roots of civic identity: International perspectives on community service and activism in youth. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Yeager, D. S., Henderson, M. D., Paunesku, D., Walton, G. M., D’Mello, S., Spitzer, B. J., & Duckworth, A.L. (2014). Boring but important: A self-transcendent purpose for learning fosters academic self-regulation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 107(4), 559–580.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef

Youniss, J., & Levine, P. (Eds.). (2009). Engaging young people in civic life. Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt University Press.

Youniss, J., & Yates, M. (1997). Community service and social responsibility in youth: Theory and policy. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

Zaff, J. F., Kawashima-Ginsberg, K., Lin, E. S., Lamb, M., Balsano, A., & Lerner, R. M. (2011). Developmental trajectories of civic engagement across adolescence: Disaggregation of an integrated construct. Journal of Adolescence, 34(6), 1207–1220.PubMedCrossRef

Zaff, J. F., Malanchuk, O., & Eccles, J. S. (2008). Predicting positive citizenship from adolescence to young adulthood: The effects of a civic context. Applied Development Science, 12(1), 38–53.CrossRef

Zimmerman, M. A., Ramirez-Valles, J., & Maton, K. I. (1999). Resilience among urban African American male adolescents: A study of the protective effects of sociopolitical control on their mental health. American Journal of Community Psychology, 27(6), 733–751.PubMedCrossRef

Titel: The Kids are All Right? Income Inequality and Civic Engagement among Our Nation’s Youth
Auteurs: Erin B. Godfrey
Hua-Yu Sebastian Cherng
Publicatiedatum: 03-09-2016
Uitgeverij: Springer US
Gepubliceerd in: Journal of Youth and Adolescence / Uitgave 11/2016
Print ISSN: 0047-2891
Elektronisch ISSN: 1573-6601
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-016-0557-4

Andere artikelen Uitgave 11/2016

Sailing Uncharted Waters: Adolescent Personality Development and Social Relationship Experiences During a Year Abroad

Empirical Research

Authoritative School Climate and High School Student Risk Behavior: A Cross-sectional Multi-level Analysis of Student Self-Reports

Empirical Research

Maternal Emotion Regulation and Adolescent Behaviors: The Mediating Role of Family Functioning and Parenting

Empirical Research

Indirect Effects of Extracurricular Participation on Academic Adjustment Via Perceived Friends’ Prosocial Norms

Empirical Research

Jennifer Drobac: Sexual Exploitation of Teenagers: Adolescent Development, Discrimination, and Consent Law

Book Review

Transmission of Work Ethic in African-American Families and Its Links with Adolescent Adjustment

Empirical Research

Bohn Stafleu van Loghum

Welkom bij THIM Hogeschool voor Fysiotherapie & Bohn Stafleu van Loghum

Registreer

Login

The Kids are All Right? Income Inequality and Civic Engagement among Our Nation’s Youth

Abstract

Andere artikelen Uitgave 11/2016

Sailing Uncharted Waters: Adolescent Personality Development and Social Relationship Experiences During a Year Abroad

Authoritative School Climate and High School Student Risk Behavior: A Cross-sectional Multi-level Analysis of Student Self-Reports

Maternal Emotion Regulation and Adolescent Behaviors: The Mediating Role of Family Functioning and Parenting

Indirect Effects of Extracurricular Participation on Academic Adjustment Via Perceived Friends’ Prosocial Norms

Jennifer Drobac: Sexual Exploitation of Teenagers: Adolescent Development, Discrimination, and Consent Law

Transmission of Work Ethic in African-American Families and Its Links with Adolescent Adjustment

Bohn Stafleu van Loghum

Welkom bij THIM Hogeschool voor Fysiotherapie & Bohn Stafleu van Loghum

Registreer

Login

Deel dit onderdeel of sectie (kopieer de link)

Abstract

Log in om toegang te krijgen

Sailing Uncharted Waters: Adolescent Personality Development and Social Relationship Experiences During a Year Abroad

Authoritative School Climate and High School Student Risk Behavior: A Cross-sectional Multi-level Analysis of Student Self-Reports

Maternal Emotion Regulation and Adolescent Behaviors: The Mediating Role of Family Functioning and Parenting

Indirect Effects of Extracurricular Participation on Academic Adjustment Via Perceived Friends’ Prosocial Norms

Jennifer Drobac: Sexual Exploitation of Teenagers: Adolescent Development, Discrimination, and Consent Law

Transmission of Work Ethic in African-American Families and Its Links with Adolescent Adjustment