CIRCLE, the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement, focuses on young people in the United States, especially those who are marginalized or disadvantaged in political life. CIRCLE's scholarly research informs policy and practice for healthier youth development and a better democracy.
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Organizer: Gallup and the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement
The 2020 general election has taken on renewed importance as the twin crises of racial injustice and a global pandemic profoundly change American life. For the generation just now coming of age and finding its voice politically, this year's election offers an opportunity to shape the country's future.
Join the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), part of Tufts University's Tisch College of Civic Life, and Gallup for a discussion on youth participation in the political process this November and beyond. Based on new research, the conversation will focus on:
Location: Webinar
Approximately a third of Americans under 30 cast ballots in 2018. If that turnout grows, young voters may cast the decisive ballots in November.
Young voters are interested and engaged, and they may finally assert their power in the fall election, according to a new poll released Tuesday that finds youth activism at record highs.
And that looks like good news for Democrats, particularly former Vice President Joe Biden, who now holds a 34-point lead over President Trump among younger voters, according to researchers at Tufts University focused on politics and young adults. By comparison, Hillary Clinton held an 18-point margin over Trump when Tufts took a similar poll during the 2016 presidential campaign.
The results are significant because early expectations of a heavy turnout by young voters in prior elections haven't regularly materialized.
Generation Citizen is among the leaders in efforts to promote "action civics, in which students identify a community problem and work to solve it.
Carney is a contributing writer.
Student activism is on the rise, and young voters are both expanding as a bloc and mobilizing to demand action from the politicians of 2020.
But will all voices be heard, including those of marginalized and lower-income students? And will all the buzz translate into any lasting policy or political outcomes?
Such questions preoccupy not just political organizers but civic educators, who are increasingly looking for ways to make civic learning relevant to this diverse and fired-up younger generation. Research shows gaps in both civic knowledge and civic engagement between black and Hispanic students and their white peers, as well as between students from lower- and higher-income families. And as a whole, civic learning is often perceived as dominated by white perspectives and educators.
