Why do more people vote--or get involved in other civic and political
activities--in some communities than in others? Why We Vote
demonstrates that our communities shape our civic and political
engagement, and that schools are especially significant communities
for fostering strong civic norms. Much of the research on political
participation has found that levels of participation are higher in
diverse communities where issues important to voters are hotly
contested. In this well-argued book, David Campbell finds support for
this view, but also shows that homogenous communities often have very
high levels of civic participation despite a lack of political
conflict. Campbell maintains that this sense of civic duty springs not
only from one's current social environment, but also from one's early
influences. The degree to which people feel a sense of civic
obligation stems, in part, from their adolescent experience. Being
raised and thus socialized in a community with strong civic norms
leads people to be civically engaged in adulthood. Campbell
demonstrates how the civic norms within one's high school impact
individuals' civic involvement--even a decade and a half after those
individuals have graduated. Efforts within America's high schools to
enhance young people's sense of civic responsibility could have a
participatory payoff in years to come, the book concludes; thus
schools would do well to focus more attention on building civic norms
among their students.
Les mer
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9781400837618
Publisert
2013
Utgiver
Vendor
Princeton University Press
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter