The Impact of Absolute Education on Young Voter Turnout

Author

Reagan Roark, Utah State UniversityFollow

Date of Award:

5-2025

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Political Science

Committee Chair(s)

Damon Cann

Committee

Damon Cann

Committee

Greg Goelzhauser

Committee

Bret Crane

Abstract

American civic education continually proves to need attention and reform. This research evaluates whether implementing specific teaching strategies at the high school level impacts a student's future political participation; specifically, to more clearly outline whether a high school level civics curriculum directly impacts a student's likelihood to cast a voting ballot in midterm and presidential elections within six years of graduation. This paper aims to understand better if teaching and/or education reform is effective in helping future generations and the democratic fate of our country. In this study, we measure the current state civic graduation requirements compared with the state's youth engagement in politics through youth voter turnout, which includes voters between the ages of 18 and 24. By continuing the work and studies of modern scholars and analyzing the recent changes states have made to civic education graduation requirements, this study hopes to discover whether implementing improved civic teaching requirements in high schools influences youth voter turnout. The variables measured are state required civics tests, state-required curriculums, and state-required semesters of civics courses. By using a linear regression model, all of the variables collected were measured. In the conclusion of this study, we find that the concepts measured do not have a true statistical significance on youth voter turnout.

Recommended Citation

Roark, Reagan, "The Impact of Absolute Education on Young Voter Turnout" (2025). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present. 423.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd2023/423