Young voters still care but may be less likely to act, according to UA study

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - In election years, young voters get plenty of attention, often with the assumption that they've checked out of politics. New research from The University of Alabama paints a more complicated picture.

Student engagement over time

The study used data from more than 2,000 UA students from 2019 to 2024, providing a unique opportunity to measure participation over several years. Other studies have provided a snapshot of student behavior during that period, but Han's study is among the few that included the years before and immediately after the pandemic.

Civic engagement includes voting, but more broadly it covers any activity that contributes to a person's community and society, such as political participation, community service, or simply expressing opinions and beliefs in person or online.

His biggest finding: students' real-world civic participation has slightly rebounded in recent years but has yet to reach pre-pandemic levels.

A secondary, more surprising result: students' expression of political and civic intent has remained steady.

Students still care about issues as much as they did before. They still post on social media and wear their opinions on T-shirts at similar rates. However, this expressive engagement does not translate to action in the same proportion as before.

A key exception

One exception was political protest. Both online discussion of dissent and participation in physical protests did not decline.

"Engagement in political activism didn't change at all and showed a slight increase during the pandemic period," Han said.

What students do now matters later

Han's research often focuses on how to promote behaviors that benefit both individuals and society as a whole. In looking at the civic engagement of college students, he is looking toward the future of the country.

"Civic engagement is an essential part of being a flourishing, responsible citizen in a democratic society," Han said. Research has also shown that a person's interest and engagement in civic life strongly predicts participation later in life.

People who learn participation in civic life early are more likely to contribute to their community as they get older.

"If we have fewer people interested in civic engagement, then our society, our communities cannot survive," Han said. "They need participation as well as attention."

Han sees reason for optimism in the fact that young people are still engaging with ideas online, and he said communities and educational institutions should keep prioritizing ways to help young people get involved. Early opportunities, he said, should be local, accessible and attainable.