Civic education & voter apathy Determining the need for increased civic Education

1. Civic education & voter apathyDetermining the need for increased civic Education Susan SprakerIDS 4934 Capstone

2. Introduction In order to determine if more education in Civics course is needed to increase voter participation research on current trends was necessary. During the 2008 presidential election 56.8% of the national population of voting age voted. That means that 43.2% of U.S. citizens of voting age did not vote! In Orange County Florida the population was 1,072,801 in 2008 with 604,083 registered voters. Of these registered voters 77% voted however this equates only to 43.4% of voting age citizens in Orange County which is over 13% less than the national average. The voter turnout has not been above 60% since the 1968 presidential election and compared to other countries such as Australia who consistently has voter turnout 95% and above, the United States falls far behind. In an interview with Dr. Robert Peter DeWitt he stated that “The United States has a world class economy so we need a world class education on civics. The whole idea behind a democracy is to participate.”

3. Statistical Comparison – 2008 Election National Orange County, FL • Population: 304,059,724 • Population Age Voting(APV): 56.8% • Population: 1,072,801 • Population Age Voting(APV): 43.4%

4. 18-24 Years Voting Statistics 2008

5. Observational Research • Time spent in observing student’s knowledge in a civics course. • Interviews with students in Political Science courses • Surveys completed by students in college level Political Science Courses • Interview with Professor and published author R. Peter Dewitt, Ph.D.

6. Survey Distributed Below is the survey that I distributed to the students in the course I was observing. Double click on the survey to scroll through the questions

7. Survey Results Students Surveyed: • 51 % vote • 92% received only one semester of Civics courses • 84% do not feel prepared to make informed decisions • 73% feel more civic education would be beneficial

8. Student Interview Results Students interviewed – Some responses: • Do not feel part of the political process • Do not understand government or legislation or think it’s too confusing to follow. • Could not name the branches of government • Did not know they were in a civics course • Think that the government does not affect them enough to care about what goes on • Would rather watch reality T.V. than a news show featuring any information on legislation • Could not name the Vice President or Governor of Florida

9. Dr. Dewitt Interview R. Peter Dewitt, Ph.D. received his Doctorate from State University of New York at Binghamton According to Dr. Dewitt the “more courses in civics would increase the likelihood to vote. When citizens don’t vote they feel alienated and increases apathy in participating in their government. It has been studied many times that the higher the education, the higher the voter participation. The issue is that public policy doesn’t work unless people participate; the whole idea of a democracy is to participate. Additionally the higher the voting percentage equates to more political stability and less polarization.”

10. Solutions • Increase the amount of Civic education given to K-12 students. • Incorporate Civics education into other subject areas such as Language Arts; students could read political novels such as “Animal Farm” and “1984” by George Orwell or “The Jungle” by Upton Sinclair. • Provide one semester of civics education a year in high school. • Results • Increase participation in voting and other political engagements. • Political officials will have a larger electorate to be accountable to • Skills developed • Advance knowledge in politics, policies, and legislation

11. Conclusion After spending time with students in a civic course it became apparent that so many students aren’t well educated in civics. They don’t participate in politics and for the most part don’t care to because they don’t see the importance for it. In an age where the information is more abundant we are less interested in our government or other countries. Today there are several 24 hour news stations on t.v. and radio plus websites on the internet that provides information in an instance yet we would rather watch reality t.v. than be involved in our own reality. If changes aren’t implemented soon the consequences will be a government that reflects its people; a government which degenerates itself.

12. Sources U.S. Census Bureau – population Orange County Florida http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/12/12095.html Orange County Florida Supervisor of Elections – 2008 election results http://results.enr.clarityelections.com/FL/Orange/8511/14257/en/reports.html International Idea Institute for democracy and electoral assistance http://www.idea.int/vt/country_view.cfm?id=231 Dewitt, R.P. Ph.D. in Political Science from State University of New York Binghamton U.S. Census Bureau – Voting and Registration (excel table from) http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/socdemo/voting/index.html Info Please all the knowledge you need – National voter turnout in Federal Elections 1960 - 2008 http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0781453.html