Political Apathy Among Colleges Students

Abstract

Young Americans are often stereotyped as one of the most politically disconnected demographics in the country. Low rates of voter turnout help characterize this age group as indifferent and apathetic. This makes the voting behavior of young people an incredibly important topic of study for political scientists. This is especially true in the wake of the 2016 presidential election. This research focused on American citizens aged 18-24. The research aimed to determine whether political apathy among this age group has increased or decreased since 2012. The study consisted of a comparison of responses from two different surveys. Data from the first survey was drawn from a nationwide telephone poll conducted by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE). This survey was conducted shortly after the 2012 presidential election. This data was compared to an identical survey administered online to a sample of students at Augusta University following the 2016 presidential election. Differences in sample sizes limited the ability to analyze comparisons between the two surveys. However, analysis of the 2016 dataset points to a low sense of political apathy among students sampled at Augusta University.