A Cross-Context Analysis of Civic Engagement Linking CIVED and U.S: Census Data

Abstract

This study investigates direct and indirect family, peer, school, and neighborhood effects on adolescents’ civic engagement utilizing data from the 1999 IEA Civic Education Study and the U.S. Census. The nationally representative sample consists of 2,729 students from 119 schools in the U.S. Multi-level regression techniques provide precise estimates of the separate and shared impact of each context on adolescents’ civic engagement. Individual students’ civic experiences and discourse in school and at home predict higher civic engagement, although the effects of these experiences vary based on the larger school and neighborhood contexts. Overall, interactive effects indicate that students who may traditionally be deemed at a disadvantage (either because of poor school or neighborhood conditions) experience more benefits from increases in civic learning opportunities than do more advantaged students. Suggestions are made for secondary analyses of ICCS (the IEA civic education study of 2009).