Impacts of Adolescent and Young Adult Civic Engagement on Health and Socioeconomic Status in Adulthood

Abstract

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 approach is used to rigorously estimate how civic engagement is associated with outcomes among 9,471 adolescents and young adults (baseline M = 15.9). All forms of civic engagement are positively associated with subsequent income and education level. Volunteering and voting are favorably associated with subsequent mental health and health behaviors, and activism is associated with more health-risk behaviors and not associated with mental health. Civic engagement is not associated with physical health.

Longitudinal Associations between Civic Engagement and Interpersonal Needs among College Students during the 2018 Midterm Elections

“…Advances in developmental science highlight that civic engagement is also important for personal health and well-being (Ballard et al, 2018). Participating in civic activities, including community service, political action, and environmentalism, provides youth with a variety of important developmental assets, including social support (Oosterhoff et al, 2017), feelings of purpose (Malin et al, 2015), and personal identity (Crocetti et al, 2014).…”

“…Participating in civic activities, including community service, political action, and environmentalism, provides youth with a variety of important developmental assets, including social support (Oosterhoff et al, 2017), feelings of purpose (Malin et al, 2015), and personal identity (Crocetti et al, 2014). Research examining the benefits of civic engagement has generally focused on links between civic participation and physical health (Ballard et al, 2018) or indicators of emotional well-being, including positive/negative affect, vitality, and depressive symptoms (Wray-Lake et al, 2017;Wray-Lake et al, 2019). Less research has longitudinally examined links between civic engagement and interpersonal psychological needs, including belongingness (i.e., perception that you belong in society) and burdensomeness (i.e., perception that you actively worsen the lives of others).…”

“…A growing body of research has demonstrated the importance of civic engagement for adolescent and young adult health and well-being (Ballard et al, 2018;Wray-Lake et al, 2017;Wray-Lake et al, 2019). Civic engagement is thought to provide individuals with a variety of social, identity, and physiological benefits that enhance mental health.…”

“…In contrast, political engagement entails both risks and rewards (Oosterhoff and Wray-Lake, in press). Political engagement has been connected with increased stress and depressive symptoms (Ballard and Ozer, 2016;Hibbing et al, 2019), but also may provide a sense of solidarity, re-enforced identity, and improved physical health (Ballard and Ozer, 2016;Ballard et al, 2018). Political involvement may provide interpersonal benefits through working towards common goals with likeminded others, but may also involve navigating potentially contentious situations that disrupt interpersonal relationships.…”

“…Based on prior research (e.g., Wray-Lake et al, 2017), we hypothesized that those who are involved in greater volunteering and environmentalism will have greater weekly, same day, and next-day belongingness and lower burdensomeness. Given that political engagement has been linked with greater personal well-being and greater interpersonal conflict (Ballard et al, 2018;Hibbing et al, 2019;Roche and Jacobson, 2019;Stanton et al, 2009), we explored links between standard political and social movement engagement, burdensomeness, and belongingness.…”