Introduction
Political participation is one of the compulsory elements in almost every political system in the world. By definition, political participation refers to the actions or activities by a country’s private citizens through which they seek to influence government policies and activities. The activities involved in political participation shape or influence the political sphere in a particular manner. Political power in almost every society is usually concentrated in the hands of a few individuals who make up the government. However, attempts are often made for the participation of the maximum number of people in the political system (Sharma and Sharma, 2000). Tis participation not only accentuates political stability but validates the existing political authority. A society characterized by limited political participation whereby only a few actively participate in matters of politics is often prone to violent political revolutions (Sharma and Sharma, 2000). Political participation is usually very high in democratic nations in the world, and the probability of violent political revolutions in such countries is, therefore, very minimal. The most common form of political participation is voting whereby citizens elect leaders or members of the government. Because of its enormous impact on a country’s overall political system, researchers have often sought to examine the factors that motivate or influence political participation. Political scientists and sociologists have conducted countless studies on the issue of political participation seeking to explicitly describe the individual factors within the society that prompt people to participate or not to participate in that county’s political system. In the course of this research, one primary factors have often sprung up, and researchers have often acknowledged that this factor hugely influences political participation. This is the factor of education attainment. How does education attainment influence political participation? This is the question that this essay seeks to answer. The research will use various sources to come up with a conclusion and answer to the question. The paper will incorporate past research conducted on the issue and will utilize also utilize primary research conducted using questionnaires and interviews on a selected group of participants.
The paper will seek to prove or disapprove the hypothesis that higher education attainment positively influences the level of political participation. In simple terms, political participation in greater in a society with highly educated individuals. These individuals plays a more active role in the political system. This hypothesis is derived from past research that seems to indicate the same trend; that high education attainment increases the chances and probability of an individual playing an active role in the political systems through actions such as voting.
Literature Review
As mentioned earlier, a lot of research has been conducted on this issue of political participation. The main focus of this research has been on the primary factors that motivate political participation, and as mentioned earlier, education has been established as one of the factors that is core to political participation. It would perhaps be wise first to establish some of the dominant elements that exemplify political participation. Voting during various elections is the most active form of political participation. The second activity which exemplifies political participation is supporting public pressure groups or being an active member of them. Political participation can also be manifested or expressed through frequent personal communication with legislators. The other form of political participation is by taking part in political activities of parties and in the process acquiring a claim on the legislators that are members of that party. The final form of political participation is by engagement in the habitual or frequent propagation of political opinions thorough one on one communications with other citizens (Sharma and Sharma, 2000).
Hillygu (2005), and Schlozman (2002), are two researchers who have studied the issue of education and have found that citizens who are more educated are likely to have more political participation through actions such as voting and participating in political campaigns. Why does such a relationship occur? According to Verba et al (1995), who has also conducted research on the issue, education essentially equips citizens with adequate resources and skills that are needed to participate actively in politics. Verba et al (1995), found that education does not only raise political participation level but in actual sense allows the citizens of a country to acquire some of the vital civic skills that are needed to effectively communicate the concerns that they may have to politicians.
In another study on the same issue by Hansen and Rosenstone (1993), the authors found that education in simple terms imparts the skills and knowledge that are most essential to the political task of a citizen. Hansen and Rosenstone (1993) argue that because of a good education, people have skills that are needed to comprehend the abstract subject of politics.
Kernell and Jacobson (2003) have also conducted a study on the issue of political participation particularly focusing on voting in mid- term elections in the United States. The two researchers found that with all other things equal, voting turnouts in the United States midterm elections were higher for the most educated people when compared to the least educated people. Once again, such a trend is attributed to the fact those who are more educated inadvertently possess more knowledge on political affairs and therefore feel that they have a huge potential to influence policy and the entire political system. Putman (2000), who has also investigated the issue of education influence on political participation shares the opinion that political knowledge and interest in affairs of the public are preconditions for more active citizen involvement in politics. The individuals who possess more knowledge on matters of politics have a higher likelihood of taking part in political processes such as voting and political campaigns.
In another study conducted by Nie, Junn and Stehlik-Barry (1996), the main argument is that attainment of education essentially functions as a sorting mechanism that inadvertently allows the citizens of a country to obtain higher wealth and prestigious occupations. These are aspects that are hugely influenced by government political policies. Therefore, well-educated individuals often feel the needs to play an active part in politics especially in form of voting and political advocacy because they know that know that the government elected into office for example, might implement policies that may either affect them positively or that might hurt them in the long run.
It is very clear that intensive research has been conducted on the influence of education on political participation. Research has consistently shown that higher education attainment increases the likelihood of private citizens taking an active role in political matters especially in terms of voting. A majority of research also seems to suggest that this observed trend is primarily attributable to the skills and knowledge on political matters that education gives to the citizens.
Research Process
The independent variable in this research study is education. This the variable that is not affected by other aspects in regard to this research study. The independent variables are elements through which political participation is exemplified. In this particular study, the primary elements considered include voting, participation in political campaigns (for example by contributing to funds campaigns or by attending party meetings and rallies) and activism in public pressure groups.
A total of 25 individuals were involved in this research. A majority of these individual were picked randomly from the immediate community both inside the campus premises as well as from outside the campus gates. The participants were of diverse cultures, races and backgrounds. For instance, 18 of the interviewed individual were Caucasians, 9 were African Americans, 5 were Hispanics and 4 were Asian Americans. The participants were also made up of varying ages with the youngest participant being 18 years old and the oldest participant being 75 years old. It was hoped that such diversity in the participants would enable the research to come up with viable conclusions that could be generalized or that could be assumed to be representative of the entire population.
Before the commencement of the research, each participant gave consent both in written and verbal format.
After agreeing to take part in the study, each of the participants was sent a preliminary questionnaire where they were required to answer questions related to their education credentials as well as their political participation.
The questionnaire provided a space for the participants to fill in details about their education journey from the moment they set foot in school to the current moment. The participants were also required to fill in details regarding the various grades that they acquired across different levels of the education. This included levels such as middle school, junior high, high school, college, graduate school, and so on. The participants were informed that all information would be treated with confidentially so as to remove any fears about explicitly noting down their grades. The questionnaire comprised on both open-ended as well as close ended questions. Most of the close-ended questions were in regard to two primary aspects; education credentials and patterns of political participation. In regard to the education part, the participants were supposed to fill in various education achievements including the schools attended, grades acquired, and other education achievements. In regard to political participation, the participants were required to fill several things; the number of elections that one had voted in, whether the participant had ever contributed towards the campaign of a certain political candidate at the state or at the national level, number of political meetings attended by the participant if any and finally if the participant was an active member of a political activism group and the name of that group or groups.
The open-ended questions were in the second part of the questionnaire. These questions sought to seek the opinion of the participants on various subjects. The first question sought to establish what the participants understood by political participation. The second question sought to establish the perceived influence that the participant’s education achievement had on the level of their political participation. The questionnaires were picked up after all the participants had filled them and answered all the questions. Follow-up interviews were then conducted with each participant in order to authenticate their responses.
The data from the questionnaires and interviews was analyzed keenly to establish the standout patterns of educational and political participation. To ease the analysis process, the first thing that was done was to identify the participants with similar levels of education achievement. These individuals were then grouped together. Patterns of education participation were then analyzed for each group and the differences and similarities between each group were identified.
Findings
The analysis of the data gave several findings. From the 35 participants, 20 of them were college educated. 12 of them had undergraduate degrees from reputable universities and colleges in the nation, 4 of them had associate diplomas from a community college, 3 of the participants also had a Masters degrees while one had was a doctorate holder. The remaining 15 participants were not college educated and had in fact, never set in foot in college. However, eleven of these participants had high school diplomas while the other four did not even finish high school.
In terms of political participation, about 89% of all the college-educated participants had taken part in national and state elections since they successfully registered. The remaining percentage indicated that they had missed the voting exercise due to some unavoidable circumstances. In addition, 65 percent of them were active participants of either the Democratic Party or the Republican Party, and many indicated that they had made personal contributions in the last presidential elections. 69% of them also belonged to a public advocacy group. This trend was proportional to the education level, for instance, the undergraduate and master’s degree holders showed more participation than the community college diploma holders although it was found that it was possible to generalize their responses since the difference was not much. In regards to the participants who had not attended college, many did not show enthusiasm for voting exercises. For example, it was found that only 44% of them had taken part in the last presidential elections held in the year 2012. In addition, only a meagre 49% indicated that they were planning to vote in the oncoming November 2014 Senate and Congressional House elections. In addition, only 25% of them had contributed to political campaigns, and only 11% were members of public advocacy groups.
Analysis
The findings from the research helped in the formulation of viable conclusions to the issue at hand. The findings indicate that as education attainment increases, the associated level of political participation rises. In simple terms, education attainment is directly proportional to political participation. This research was consistent with previous research that seems to indicate a similar pattern or trend. People who are more educated tend to be more actively involved in political matters. Such people recognize the huge power that they hold when it comes to influencing policy. They realize that they hold the key to the political system that will dominate the country. This is why many participate in political activities to make sure that their input is considered. In addition, when they identify a certain political figure who shares similar values, they have no qualms digging into their own pockets to contribute to his course in order to ensure that he is elected and attains office. Highly educated individuals also recognize the role played by public advocacy groups in terms of agitating for government policies and actions that are in the best interests of the public (Tenn, 2007). Such individuals are, therefore, active members of many often the public advocacy groups. On the other hand, people who are highly educated are usually oblivious to many political situations and scenarios. Many consider political participation as a waste of time (Tenn, 2007). In fact from this research, many indicated that their lives did not change in any way whether they took part or did not take part on political activities. This can also be attributed to the fact that may do not recognize the fact that political participation can help to change aspects of their lives including the people who make the major policies that affect them. This lack of education is attributable to low education attainment.
Conclusion
Education is clearly one of the factors that influence political participation. The level of education achievement of an individual significantly determines the extent of their political participation in terms of voting, taking part in active party politics including personal contributions and being active members for public advocacy or public pressure groups. The issue of political participation especially in regards to voter turnout has elicited concerns in recent years, and many have questioned how voter turnout can be enhanced. As shown, education is one of the factors that influences voter turn and the government should therefore enact policies that enhance education in the society in order to create a society that is more actively involved in politics therefore leading to the realization of full democracy. In addition, the results of this study also show that people, with low education attainment, should be encouraged to play a more active role in political matters. One of the ways through which this can be achieved, for instance, is via nationwide civic education (Tenn, 2007).
References
Hillygus, D. S. (2005). The missing link: Exploring the relationship between higher education and political behavior. Political Behavior, 27(1), 25–47.
Kernell, S., and Jacobson, G.C. (2003). The logic of American politics (2nd ed.). Washington: CQ Press.
Nie, N., Junn, J., & Stehlik-Barry, K. (1996). Education and democratic citizenship in America. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Putnam, R. (2000). Bowling alone. New York: Simon and Schuster
Rosenstone, S. J., & Hansen, J. M. (1993). Mobilization, participation, and democracy in America. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
Sondheimer, R. M., & Green, D. P. (2010). Using experiments to estimate the effects of education on voter turnout. American Journal of Political Science, 54(1), 174–189
Tenn, S. (2007). The effect of education on voter turnout. Political Analysis, 15(4), 446–464.
Verba, S., Schlozman, K. L., & Brady, H. (1995). Voice and equality: Civic voluntarism in American politics. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
