Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-mkpzs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-24T16:53:39.908Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Childhood Skill Development and Adult Political Participation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 June 2017

JOHN B. HOLBEIN
JOHN B. HOLBEIN*
Affiliation:
Brigham Young University
*
John B. Holbein is Assistant Professor, Brigham Young University, 745 Kimball Tower, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602 ([email protected]).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Recent child development research shows that the psychosocial or noncognitive skills that children develop—including the ability to self-regulate and integrate in social settings—are important for success in school and beyond. Are these skills learned in childhood also important for adult political behaviors like voting? In this article, I use a unique school-based 20-year field experiment to explore whether children who develop psychosocial skills early on are more likely to vote in adulthood than those who do not. Matching subjects to voter files, I show that this intervention had a noticeable long-run impact on political participation. These results highlight the need to better understand how childhood experiences shape civic behaviors later in life. During this critical period, children can be taught the not explicitly political, but still vital, skills that set them on a path toward political participation in adulthood.

Type
Research Article
Information
American Political Science Review , Volume 111 , Issue 3 , August 2017 , pp. 572 - 583
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

I wish to thank the National Science Foundation (SES-1416816) for its generous financial support. I would also like to thank Kenneth Dodge for providing invaluable feedback and assistance throughout this project; the other members of the Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group (CPPRG)—Karen L. Bierman, John D. Coie, Mark T. Greenberg, John E. Lochman, Robert J. McMahon, and Ellen E. Pinderhughes—for their very generous access to the Fast Track data; Jennifer Goodwin and Jeff Quinn for their help with the Fast Track data; and Marisa Abrajano, Nicholas Carnes, Anna Gassman-Pines, Christina Gibson-Davis, Donald Green, D. Sunshine Hillygus, Bradley Jones, Helen Ladd, Jan Leighley, Quin Monson, Marcos Rangel, Lucy Sorensen, Steven Sexton, Steven Snell, Jacob Vigdor, five anonymous reviewers, and participants at the Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA), the American Political Science Association (APSA), the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM), Boston University, Brigham Young University, Columbia University, Duke University, University of Virginia, Princeton University, University of Chicago, University of Tennessee, and Tufts University for their thoughtful feedback.

References

REFERENCES

Angrist, Joshua D., Imbens, Guido W., and Rubin, Donald B.. 1996. “Identification of Causal Effects Using Instrumental Variables.” Journal of the American Statistical Association 91 (434): 444–55.Google Scholar
Ansolabehere, Stephen, and Hersh, Eitan. 2012. “Validation: What Big Data Reveal About Survey Misreporting and the Real Electorate.” Political Analysis 20 (4): 437–59.Google Scholar
Astuto, Jennifer, and Ruck, Martin D.. 2010. “Early Childhood as a Foundation for Civic Engagement.” In Handbook of Research on Civic Engagement in Youth. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 249–76.Google Scholar
Becker, Gary S., and Tomes, Nigel. 1986. “Human Capital and the Rise and Fall of Families.” Journal of Labor Economics 4 (3): S1–39.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brady, Henry E., and McNulty, John E.. 2011. “Turning Out to Vote: The Costs of Finding and Getting to the Polling Place.” American Political Science Review 105 (01): 115–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Campbell, David E. 2006. Why We Vote: How Schools and Communities Shape Our Civic Life. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Chetty, Raj, Friedman, John N., Hilger, Nathaniel, Saez, Emmanuel, Schanzenbach, Diane Whitmore, and Yagan, Danny. 2011. “How Does Your Kindergarten Classroom Affect Your Earnings? Evidence from Project Star.” Quarterly Journal of Economics 126 (4): 1593–660.Google Scholar
Condon, Meghan, and Holleque, Matthew. 2013. “Entering Politics: General Self-Efficacy and Voting Behavior Among Young People.” Political Psychology 34 (2): 167–81.Google Scholar
Corvalan, Alejandro, and Cox, Paulo. Forthcoming. “The Impact of Procedural Information Costs on Voting: Evidence from a Natural Experiment in Chile.” Political Behavior.Google Scholar
CPPRG. 1999 a. “Initial Impact of the Fast Track Prevention Trial for Conduct Problems: I. The High-Risk Sample.” Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 67 (5): 631–47.Google Scholar
CPPRG. 1999 b. “Initial Impact of the Fast Track Prevention Trial for Conduct Problems: II. Classroom Effects.” Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 67 (5): 648–57.Google Scholar
CPPRG. 2002. “Evaluation of the First 3 Years of the Fast Track Prevention Trial with Children at High Risk for Adolescent Conduct Problems.” Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 30 (1): 19–35.Google Scholar
CPPRG. 2004. “The Effects of the Fast Track Program on Serious Problem Outcomes at the End of Elementary School.” Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology 33 (4): 650–61.Google Scholar
CPPRG. 2007. “Fast Track Randomized Controlled Trial to Prevent Externalizing Psychiatric Disorders: Findings from Grades 3 to 9.” Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 46 (10): 1250–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CPPRG. 2010. “Fast Track Intervention Effects on Youth Arrests and Delinquency.” Journal of Experimental Criminology 6 (2): 131–57.Google Scholar
CPPRG. 2011. “The Effects of the Fast Track Preventive Intervention on the Development of Conduct Disorder Across Childhood.” Child Development 82 (1): 331–45.Google Scholar
Currie, Janet, and Thomas, Duncan. 1995. “Does Head Start Make a Difference?” American Economic Review 85 (3): 341–64.Google Scholar
Dahl, Robert A. 1992. “The Problem of Civic Competence.” Journal of Democracy 3 (4): 45–59.Google Scholar
Dawes, Christopher, Cesarini, David, Fowler, James H., Johannesson, Magnus, Magnusson, Patrik K. E., and Oskarsson, Sven. 2014. “The Relationship Between Genes, Psychological Traits, and Political Participation.” American Journal of Political Science 58 (4): 888–903.Google Scholar
Dawson, Richard E., and Prewitt, Kenneth. 1968. Political Socialization: An Analytic Study. Boston, MA: Brown.Google Scholar
Dee, Thomas S., and West, Martin R.. 2011. “The Non-Cognitive Returns to Class Size.” Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 33 (1): 23–46.Google Scholar
Denny, Kevin, and Doyle, Orla. 2008. “Political Interest, Cognitive Ability and Personality: Determinants of Voter Turnout in Britain.” British Journal of Political Science 38 (02): 291–310.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Duckworth, Angela L., Peterson, Christopher, Matthews, Michael D., and Kelly, Dennis R.. 2007. “Grit: Perseverance and Passion for Long-Term Goals.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 92 (6): 1087–101.Google Scholar
Farrington, Camille A., Roderick, Melissa, Allensworth, Elaine, Nagaoka, Jenny, Keyes, Tasha Seneca, Johnson, David W., and Beechum, Nicole O.. 2012. “Teaching Adolescents to Become Learners: The Role of Noncognitive Factors in Shaping School Performance—a Critical Literature Review.” Technical Report. University of Chicago CCSR.Google Scholar
Fowler, James H., and Kam, Cindy D.. 2006. “Patience as a Political Virtue: Delayed Gratification and Turnout.” Political Behavior 28 (2): 113–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fowler, James H., and Kam, Cindy D.. 2007. “Beyond the Self: Social Identity, Altruism, and Political Participation.” Journal of Politics 69 (3): 813–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garmann, Sebastian. 2016. “The Effect of a Reduction in the Opening Hours of Polling Stations on Turnout.” Public Choice 171: 99–117.Google Scholar
Gerber, Alan S., Huber, Gregory A., Doherty, David, and Dowling, Conor M.. 2011. “The Big Five Personality Traits in the Political Arena.” Annual Review of Political Science 14: 265–87.Google Scholar
Gerber, Alan S., Huber, Gregory A., Meredith, Marc, Biggers, Daniel R., and Hendry, David J.. 2015. “Can Incarcerated Felons Be (Re) Integrated into the Political System? Results from a Field Experiment.” American Journal of Political Science 59 (4): 912–26.Google Scholar
Gomez, Brad T., Hansford, Thomas G., and Krause, George A.. 2007. “The Republicans Should Pray for Rain: Weather, Turnout, and Voting in US Presidential Elections.” Journal of Politics 69 (3): 649–63.Google Scholar
Gooch, Andrew, and Vavreck, Lynn. Forthcoming. “How Face-to-Face Interviews and Cognitive Skill Affect Item Non-Response: A Randomized Experiment Assigning Mode of Interview.” Political Science Research and Methods.Google Scholar
Green, Donald P., Ha, Shang E., and Bullock, John G.. 2010. “Enough Already About Black Box Experiments: Studying Mediation Is More Difficult Than Most Scholars Suppose.” Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 628 (1): 200–08.Google Scholar
Greenstein, Fred. 1965. “Children and Politics”. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press Google Scholar
Heckman, James J. 2000. “Policies to Foster Human Capital.” Research in Economics 54 (1): 3–56.Google Scholar
Heckman, James J., and Kautz, Tim. 2014. “Fostering and Measuring Skills: Interventions That Improve Character and Cognition.” In The Myth of Achievement Tests: The GED and the Role of Character in American Life, eds. Heckman, James J., Humphries, John E., and Kautz, Tim. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 341–430.Google Scholar
Heckman, James J., and Rubinstein, Yona. 2001. “The Importance of Noncognitive Skills: Lessons from the GED Testing Program.” American Economic Review 91 (2): 145–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heckman, James, Pinto, Rodrigo, and Savelyev, Peter. 2013. “Understanding the Mechanisms Through Which an Influential Early Childhood Program Boosted Adult Outcomes.” American Economic Review 103 (6): 2052–86.Google Scholar
Heckman, James J., Stixrud, Jora, and Urzua, Sergio. 2006. “The Effects of Cognitive and Noncognitive Abilities on Labor Market Outcomes and Social Behavior.” Journal of Labor Economics 24 (3): 411–82.Google Scholar
Hill, Seth J. 2016. “Following Through on an Intention to Vote: Present Bias, Norms, and Turnout.” Working Paper. http://www.sethjhill.com/SJH_PresentBias.pdf.Google Scholar
Hillygus, D. Sunshine, Holbein, John B., and Snell, Steven A.. 2016. “The Nitty Gritty: The Unexplored Role of Grit and Perseverance in Voter Turnout.” SSRN Working Paper (2675326). http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2675326.Google Scholar
Imai, Kosuke, Keele, Luke, Tingley, Dustin, and Yamamoto, Teppei. 2011. “Unpacking the Black Box of Causality: Learning About Causal Mechanisms from Experimental and Observational Studies.” American Political Science Review 105 (04): 765–89.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jackson, Kirabo C. 2012. “Non-Cognitive Ability, Test Scores, and Teacher Quality: Evidence from 9th Grade Teachers in North Carolina.” NBER Working Paper (w18624). http://www.nber.org/papers/w18624.Google Scholar
Kanfer, Frederick H. 1970. “Self Monitoring: Methodological Limitations and Clinical Applications.” Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 35 (2): 148–58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kohler, Ulrich, Karlson, Kristian Bernt, and Holm, Anders. 2011. “Comparing Coefficients of Nested Nonlinear Probability Models.” Stata Journal 11 (3): 420–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Langton, Kenneth P. 1969. Political Socialization. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Leighley, Jan E., and Nagler, Jonathan. 2013. Who Votes Now? Demographics, Issues, Inequality, and Turnout in the United States. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Luskin, Robert C. 1990. “Explaining Political Sophistication.” Political Behavior 12 (4): 331–61.Google Scholar
Mondak, Jeffery J. 2010. Personality and the Foundations of Political Behavior. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Mondak, Jeffery J., Hibbing, Matthew V., Canache, Damarys, Seligson, Mitchell A., and Anderson, Mary R.. 2010. “Personality and Civic Engagement: An Integrative Framework for the Study of Trait Effects on Political Behavior.” American Political Science Review 104 (01): 85–110.Google Scholar
Nie, Norman H., Junn, Jane, and Stehlik-Barry, Kenneth. 1996. Education and Democratic Citizenship in America. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Niemi, Richard G., and Hepburn, Mary A.. 1995. “The Rebirth of Political Socialization.” Perspectives on Political Science 24 (1): 7–16.Google Scholar
Ojeda, Christopher. 2015. “Depression and Political Participation.” Social Science Quarterly 96 (5): 1226–43.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pacheco, Julianna Sandell, and Plutzer, Eric. 2007. “Stay in School, Don't Become a Parent: Teen Life Transitions and Cumulative Disadvantages for Voter Turnout.” American Politics Research 35 (1): 32–56.Google Scholar
Park, Daeun, Tsukayama, Eli, Goodwin, Geoffrey, Patrick, Sarah, and Duckworth, Angela. 2017. “A Tripartite Taxonomy of Character: Evidence for Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, & Intellectual Competencies in Children.” Contemporary Educational Psychology 48: 16–27.Google Scholar
Pettigrew, Stephen. 2016. “The Downstream Effects of Long Lines: How Long Waits at the Precinct Depress Future Turnout.” Working Paper. Presented at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, IL .Google Scholar
Plutzer, Eric. 2002. “Becoming a Habitual Voter: Inertia, Resources, and Growth in Young Adulthood.” American Political Science Review 96 (01): 41–56.Google Scholar
Plutzer, Eric, and Wiefek, Nancy. 2006. “Family Transitions, Economic Status, and Voter Turnout Among African-American Inner-City Women.” Social Science Quarterly 87 (3): 658–78.Google Scholar
Ravitch, Diane, and Viteritti, Joseph P.. 2001. Making Good Citizens: Education and Civil Society. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Sapiro, Virginia. 2004. “Not Your Parents’ Political Socialization: Introduction for a New Generation.” Annual Review of Political Science 7: 1–23.Google Scholar
Schafer, Jerome Pablo. 2016. ‘‘Delayed Gratification in Political Behavior: Time Preferences Predict Turnout and Donations.” Working Paper (2756566). http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2756566.Google Scholar
Searing, Donald D., Schwartz, Joel J., and Lind, Alden E.. 1973. “The Structuring Principle: Political Socialization and Belief Systems.” American Political Science Review 67 (02): 415–32.Google Scholar
Sondheimer, Rachel M., and Green, Donald P.. 2010. “Using Experiments to Estimate the Effects of Education on Voter Turnout.” American Journal of Political Science 54 (1): 174–89.Google Scholar
Sorensen, Lucy C., and Dodge, Ken A.. 2016. “How Do Childhood Interventions Prevent Crime?” Child Development 87 (2): 429–45.Google Scholar
Uhlaner, Carole Jean. 1989. “Relational Goods and Participation: Incorporating Sociability into a Theory of Rational Action.” Public Choice 62 (3): 253–85.Google Scholar
Verba, Sidney, and Almond, Gabriel A.. 1989. The Civic Culture: Political Attitudes and Democracy in Five Nations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Verba, Sidney, Schlozman, Kay Lehman, and Brady, Henry E.. 1995. Voice and Equality: Civic Voluntarism in American Politics. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Wellman, Henry M., Cross, David, and Watson, Julanne. 2001. “Meta-Analysis of Theory-of-Mind Development: The Truth About False Belief.” Child Development 72 (3): 655–84.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
White, Elliott S. 1968. “Intelligence and Sense of Political Efficacy in Children.” Journal of Politics 30 (03): 710–31.Google Scholar
Wolfinger, Raymond E., and Rosenstone, Steven J.. 1980. Who Votes? New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Yang, Yaling, and Raine, Adrian. 2009. “Prefrontal Structural and Functional Brain Imaging Findings in Antisocial, Violent, and Psychopathic Individuals: A Meta-Analysis.” Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging 174 (2): 81–88.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Supplementary material: PDF

Holbein supplementary material

Online Appendix

Download Holbein supplementary material(PDF)
PDF 669.7 KB
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.