Political Participation Among UNG Students

Abstract

Political participation is the cement that strengthens and stabilizes democracy. However, political participation is not equal across demographics. Our research examines how demographics influence political participation among University of North Georgia (UNG) students. Past research on this topic indicates that ideology, race, wealth, geography have strong impacts on how an individual participates in politics. Democrats and Republicans view political actions and rhetoric differently, and individuals who believe their political actions define them are far more likely to participate in politics than any other group. The turbulent relationship between African-Americans and the Republican party and cultural differences, such as the sense of linkage that is a cornerstone of Latino and African-American culture, greatly influence how minorities participate in and perceive politics. Individuals of high socio-economic class are more likely to participate in politics, and wealth influences how they participate. Lastly, where an individual lives influences their political ideology; individuals living in rural areas typically align with the political right while those living in urban areas typically align with the political left. By asking 77 UNG students 14 questions regarding their demographics and political participation level, we examined how ideology, race, wealth, and geography influence an individual's political participation level. Although we did not find any statistically significant results, our research design leaves a solid framework for examining the influences of political participation level at UNG in the future.