CIRCLE announces new National Study on Learning, Voting, and Engagement

By Stephanie South, Intern, American Democracy Project

The election is over, and by all accounts, young people turned out to vote at higher rates—at least 1% higher—than in 2008. We’re energized by our member campuses’ dedication, from registering and mobilizing voters to hosting mock debates and watch parties. Looking ahead to the next election, the American Democracy Project is already discussing how we’re going to support student political knowledge and engagement.

So we’re particularly excited to share with campuses a new project that offers colleges and universities the chance to measure student registration and voting rates and to study the effectiveness of educational programs designed to increase civic learning and engagement in democracy. ADP member campuses are invited to participate in  NSLVE—the National Study on Learning, Voting, and Engagement—a new research initiative designed by our friends at the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE).

Despite the fact that voting is a fundamental indicator of civic engagement, there have been no reliable ways to measure student voting rates. NSLVE fills that gap. It’s free and carefully designed to ensure student privacy. For more information and to sign up to be part of NSLVE, visit its site here. This FAQ page may also address some of your questions.

Our hope is that all ADP campuses will participate in NSLVE. Not only will it provide a baseline for measuring voter turnout in future years and comparisons among ADP campuses and with non-ADP campuses, but some campuses will be able to participate in tailored studies correlating specific academic programs, courses, and activities with student voting rates. (Note: NSLVE will compile voting rates by institution, study comparisons, and report trends and patterns in aggregate numbers. They may identify your campus as a participating institution, but will not disclose your institution’s data.)