The present study examines links between civic engagement (voting, volunteering, and activism) during late adolescence and early adulthood, and socioeconomic status and mental and physical health in adulthood. Using nationally representative data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, a propensity score matching…

As the 21st century unfolds, the United States faces historic challenges, including a struggling economy, an aging infrastructure and global terrorism. Solutions will have to come from educated, skilled citizens who understand and believe in our democratic system and are civically engaged. This incisive new report examines these fault lines and…

This report documents differences in the earnings and employment patterns of U.S. adults with different levels of education. It also compares health-related behaviors, reliance on public assistance programs, civic participation, and indicators of the well-being of the next generation. In addition to reporting median earnings by education level,…

As the 21st century unfolds, the United States faces historic challenges, including a struggling economy, an aging infrastructure and global terrorism. Solutions will have to come from educated, skilled citizens who understand and believe in our democratic system and are civically engaged. This incisive new report examines these fault lines and…

This report documents differences in the earnings and employment patterns of U.S. adults with different levels of education. It also compares health-related behaviors, reliance on public assistance programs, civic participation, and indicators of the well-being of the next generation. Financial benefits are easier to document than nonpecuniary…

This paper estimates changes in the effects of educational attainment and college quality on three cohorts of students observed during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Consistent with most of the prior literature, I find that educational attainment and college quality raise earnings, and the magnitudes of these effects have increased over time. The…

This paper reports on the impact of the Rural Income Maintenance Experiment on participation in the electoral process. Paradigms of the left and of the right predict dramatically different consequences of universal income supplement, the left wing seeing such a program as essential for minimal democratic processes while the right sees in universal…

Data from the Latino National Political Survey indicate that naturalized Latinos were less likely than native-born Latinos to participate in politics; the negative influence of naturalization was less than the positive influence on participation of increasing levels of education and age. Participation in schools was higher among Mexican American…

Analyzes data from the Latino National Political Survey regarding Latino participation in nonvoting political activities: attending rallies, volunteering for a political party or candidate, contributing money, writing letters about an issue, signing a petition, and attending public meetings. Latinos' participation patterns are related to education…

In the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) region, state and local governments spend about 10 percent of their combined annual budgets on colleges and universities. Whether this is the right funding level during a time of growing enrollments, when states are working to boost education participation and close achievement gaps, is a question…

Decreased civic and political participation is a pressing problem in the United States. Today, Americans are less likely to vote, work for a party or candidate, attend a meeting, or belong to a social or community organization than they were 40 years ago. A study used the Community Indicators Survey, a nationally representative sample of 1,206…

Examines low levels of Latino political participation using data from the Latino National Political Survey. Emphasizes differences among Latino subgroups (Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban) when analyzing voter participation. Shows that socioeconomic factors, such as education and income, may be mitigated by life-cycle effect variables, and all are…