Journal of College and Character

Volume 5, Issue 4 2004 Article 1

Civic Education Among College Students: A

Case Study

Emmanuel Oritsejafor∗ James S. Guseh†

∗
North Carolina Central University
†
North Carolina Central University

Copyright c 2004 by the authors. All rights reserved.

http://journals.naspa.org/jcc
 Civic Education Among College Students: A
Case Study
Emmanuel Oritsejafor and James S. Guseh

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze the extent of civic engagement among college students
and to determine some of the factors that are associated with civic engagement among these stu-
dents. To this effect, a survey of students at North Carolina Central University, a predominantly
Black institution, was conducted and analyzed using correlation analysis. Most of the respondents
considered voting to be important in civic engagement. The study also found that institutions of
higher learning that have integrated community service in their academic programs are contribut-
ing to the promotion of civic engagement.
 CIVIC EDUCATION AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS: A CASE STUDY*

By

Emmanuel Oritsejafor, Ph.D.

James S. Guseh, Ph.D.

North Carolina Central University

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Emmanuel O. Oritsejafor is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at North

Carolina Central University. He has a B.S., M.A. and a Ph.D. in Political Science. His teaching
and research interests include the political economy of Sub-Saharan Africa, international
relations, comparative politics, and nonprofit management. He has published articles in various
journals.

James S. Guseh is a professor in the Department of Public Administration at North Carolina

Central University. He has a B.A. and M.S. in Economics, a joint J.D.-M.P.A. in Law and
Public Administration, and M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Economy. His teaching and research
interests include the political economy of development, public sector economics, nonprofit
management, and law and public policy. His publications include a book and articles in various
journals.

*The authors would like to thank Dr. Dr. Lee E. Collins for developing the survey instrument
and, with Dr. Jarvis A. Hall, for assisting with the survey.
 CIVIC EDUCATION AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS: A CASE STUDY

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to analyze the extent of civic engagement among college students
and to determine some of the factors that are associated with civic engagement among these
students. To this effect, a survey of students at North Carolina Central University, a
predominantly Black institution, was conducted and analyzed using correlation analysis. Most of
the respondents considered voting to be important in civic engagement. The study also found that
institutions of higher learning that have integrated community service in their academic
programs are contributing to the promotion of civic engagement.

INTRODUCTION

Political freedom and participation are essential for promoting development and societal

welfare. One of the factors that is central to political participation is civic engagement. There

are various definitions of civic engagement. It is defined as “an institutional commitment to

public purposes and responsibilities intended to strengthen a democratic way of life in the rapidly

changing Information Age of the 21st Century” (U of MN Civic Engagement Task Force 2000).

Other definitions include “attitudes toward proper political behavior, and behavior itself, such as

voting, commitment to society, and a host of actions that comprise participation in civil society”

(Youniss et al. 2002, 124). It is also defined as “an understanding of how government functions,

and the acquisition of behaviors that allow citizens to participate in government and permit

individuals to meet, discuss, and collaborate to promote their interests within a framework of

democratic principles” (Youniss et al. 2002, p. 234). We do not decide which definition is the

most appropriate one. They all have some commonalities, such as focusing on democracy and

political participation, which are central to our study.

An important component of civic engagement is the right of citizens to participate in the

electoral process. Elections serve as a strengthening bond between citizens and their elected

officials to confer legitimacy on the government (Ewoh, Elliott, and Guseh 2002). “Legitimacy

is a belief on the part of citizens that the current government represents a proper form of

government, and a willingness on the part of those citizens to accept the dictates of the

government as legal and authoritative” (Peters 1999, p.73).

2
 The purpose of this study is to analyze the extent of civic engagement among college

students focusing on the case of North Carolina Central University, a historically Black

institution. More specifically, the study will analyze some of the civic activities students find

important or in which students are engaged. The study will also examine some of the factors that

are correlated with civic engagements among students. The results will be useful to institutions

of higher learning in providing the necessary education for developing the social competencies

of college students. At a time of declining voter participation, the development of such

competencies is essential to maintain democratic governance.

The next section presents a review of the literature followed by a brief discussion of the

background of civic engagement at North Carolina Central University. The next two sections

present the methodology employed and a discussion of the results. The paper concludes with a

summary and some implications.

LITERATURE REVIEW

There is an abundance of literature on the general decline of civic engagement among

Americans. Putnam (1995) in his seminal work provides evidence on a range of factors that have

contributed to Americans disengaging from politics and government. He states that direct

engagement in politics and government has declined steadily and sharply over the last

generation. He argues that there is evidence that the social disconnect exists because there are

more Americans bowling today than ever before, but at the same time the number of individuals

bowling in organized leagues has declined. Consequently, there are simply more people bowling

alone (Putnam, 1995). According to Putnam (1996), Americans are “ Bowling Alone” because

of demographic factors which can be attributed to changes in family structure and economic

trends in America, which have contributed to the overall drop in civic engagement at all levels of

the income hierarchy. Other contribut ing factors that he identifies are computers and televisions,

which have turned Americans into homebodies. On the other hand, Ladd (1999, p.1) argues that

3
America is an individualistic democracy and that the notion of “letting government do it has

never been our thing.” Thus, we have counted on individuals doing it, by accepting social

responsibility for building and maintaining a good society. The idea of a declining civic

engagement seems plausible because many older groups have lost ground (Ladd, 1999).

While participation in elections is an important element of democratic governance,

millions of young Americans are not utilizing their constitutional rights to vote. For example,

the legal voting age in the United States was lowered from 21 to 18 in 1972, but voter turnout

among the 18 to 24 age group has steadily declined in national elections. In 1972, 50 percent of

that group voted, and in the 1996 election the percentage dropped to 32 percent. Data from

National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) show that nationwide fewer than one in

five of those who are 18 to 25 years of age bothered to vote in 1998 (Van Benschoten 2000).

During the 2000 elections, while 49 percent were registered to vote, only 32.3 percent voted

(Census Bureau 2002).

Janger (1998) also concludes that young Americans’ interests in political activities have

remained abysmal. For example, only 26.7 percent of 250,000 college freshmen surveyed in a

1997 study believed that keeping up to date with political activities is an important goal in life,

compared with 40 percent in 1990 and 57.8 percent in 1966. This is consistent with data from

the Collegiate Results Instrument (CRI), which suggests that though college graduates

acknowledge the importance of civic and political engagement, this commitment is yet to be

translated into action (Change, 2000).

Given the decline in civic engagement, the need for civic education among young

Americans is important if democratic governance is to be maintained in the country. One of the

sources through which citizens learn about democracy is institutions of higher learning. From

the inception of the first American colleges 300 years ago, institutions of higher learning viewed

the development of student character and the transmission of values supporting that character as

an important responsibility of faculty and administration (An American Imperative, 1993). It is

along this line that Paul (2002) postulates that Historically Black Colleges and Universities

4
(HBCUs) were established to serve the community, produce leaders, develop responsible

citizens, and strengthen civil and democratic society. However, like most institutions of higher

education they operate with a model of “Instrumental–Individualism,” the notion that the

primary purpose of the academy is to conduct research and disseminate skills and tools essential

for economic development and upward mobility. This has contributed little to the social

competencies of college students; thus, their apathy towards civic engagement has remained

significantly high. Paul (2002) further states that 50 percent of college students between the ages

of 18 to 24 believe that schools do not do a good job giving young people information they need

to vote.

In the United States, there is, however, no national or established standard on democratic

education. Other than the basic civic courses that are taught in high schools, curricula about

civic engagement, if any, vary widely among institutions. In many institutions of higher learning

there is a multiplicity of civic education programs or projects. In some cases civic education

programs are intertwined with service related programs.

In this regard, Parker-Gwin and Mabry (1998) suggest the integration of service learning

in college courses. They believe that student outcomes could be enhanced by critical reflections

and extensive integration of civic education in the curricula of colleges. According to Walker

(2000), the challenge to institutions of higher education is to develop a pedagogy that will

position service as a citizenship education tool, rather than re-enforcing the notion that service is

morally superior to political engagement. Smyth (2000) suggests that “social capital,” “social

connectedness,” or civic engagement can be rekindled if there is greater emphasis on teaching

for social responsibility, democracy, social justice, and civility. He states that this might be

possible through a critical approach to teaching. Similarly, Youniss et al. (2002) add that

democratic practices in the classroom are directly correlated with adolescents’ knowledge of

democracy, which consequently impacts students’ intention to vote. Thus, their research suggests

that schools are a major and obvious arena through which “civic competencies” could be further

enhanced. Janger (1998) recommends that colleges should extend civic education beyond the

5
classroom through experiential learning. Sunden and Raskoff (1994) also conclude that, net of

individual differences, the chances that a student will engage in civic activities are likely to

increase if the student attends a school that requires or encourages community service.

Similarly, Serow and Dreyden (1990) find that students attending private colleges with strong

religious orientations participate in community service more frequently than students at private

colleges with less emphasis on religion or at public universities.

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AT NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY

North Carolina Central University is one of the sixteen constituent institutions of the

University of North Carolina System. The university is a historically Black institution, with a

majority of its students being African-Americans. Faced with the ongoing challenges of

nurturing and developing future civic minded leaders and as indicated by the literature,

institutions of higher education can continue to play an integral part in the development of a

strong democratic society, predicated on how they equip students to become effective citizens.

To this effect, North Carolina Central University has introduced community service in its

academic programs, and students are required to complete 120 hours of community service

before graduating. The university is also establishing the Institute of Civic Education, with the

goal of preparing students to become civic minded.

METHODOLOGY

Having identified the need and importance of teaching the students about citizenship, the

facilitators of the forthcoming Institute surveyed 45 undergraduate students to determine the

extent to which students are engaged in civic activities and to identify what students view as

important factors that encourage civic engagement. 1 With a sample size of 45, an approximation

is statistically good for a sample size greater than or equal to 30. 2 The survey instrument

comprised of several chiefly forced-choice questions designed to address the following:

1. Civic activities in which students are involved

6
 2. The importance of American citizenship

3. The reasons why some young people vote or do not vote

4. The role of schools in promoting voting

5. The importance of, and factors that influence, voting

6.

In contrast to open-ended questions where respondents provide answers in their own words,

forced-choice questions require respondents to choose from among specified answers.

The result s of the survey were analyzed using correlation analysis. Correlation is a

statistical method used to determine whether a relationship between variables exists. The

correlation coefficient is used to determine the strength and direction of a linear relationship

between two variables. Although there are several types of correlation coefficients, the one used

in this study is the Pearsonian correlation coefficient, represented by the symbol r. The

correlation coefficient is used to test the strength and direction of the relationship between the

variable for voting and other variables related to civic engagement, which are discussed in the

next paragraph. The coefficient of determination, r2 , is used to give an indication of the

proportion of the variance in the variable for voting that is explained by each of the other

variables related to civic engagement. The usual .05 level of confidence is used for testing the

statistical significance of the relationship.

As stated above, an important element of civic engagement is the right of citizens to

participate freely in the electoral process. As a result, this study will test some of the factors that

influence students’ participation in this process. The variable used to measure students’

participation is the degree of importance students attach to voting, which is represented as

VOTING. This variable is measured on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being “Not Important” and 10

being “Extremely Important.” Using the same scale, other variables were tested to determine

their relationship to VOTING. 3 The variables are the importance of:

1. Being an American (AMERICAN)

2. Successful in Career (CAREER)

7
 3. Involved in your Community (COMMUNITY)

4. Gaining Education (EDUCATION)

5. Having a close knit family (FAMILY)

6. Doing well financially (FINANCE)

7. The impact of Government decisions on your life (GOVERNMENT)

8. The impact of Elected Officials’ decisions on your life (OFFICIAL)

RESULTS

Summary of the Survey

Table 1 presents a summary of the demographic cha racteristics of the respondents in the

survey. Since the university is a historically black institution, 93.2 percent of the respondents

were African Americans, while whites and Asians constituted 4.5 percent and 1.1 percent,

respectively. With respect to gender, 62 percent of the respondents were females, and 39 percent

were males. Most of the respondents (91 percent) were in the 18 to 24 age group; the 25 to 31

age group and the age group greater than 31 years each constituted 4.4 percent.

8
 Table 1

Demographic Characteristics of Respondents

Categories Frequency Percentage

RACE
African American 41 91.1
White 2 4.4
Asian 1 2.2
GENDER
Male 17 37. 8
Female 28 62.2
AGE
18-24 411 91.1
25-31 2 4.4
32-38 2 4.4

Note: The percentages in each category sums to 100.

With voting being an important element of civic engagement, students were asked a

series of questions to determine their levels of civic engagement and political participation. The

results are presented in Tables A1 to A5 in the Appendix. Respondents were asked whether or

not they consider voting the most important right to have as an American. About 49 percent

responded that they strongly agree, followed by 42 percent who responded that they agree. Thus,

over 90 percent of the respondents consider voting very important, thereby suggesting that voting

is very important to civic engagement (see Table A1).

When asked to identify the single most important issue that influenced their decision to

vote, about 16 percent responded that it was their duty to vote, 9 percent responded that it was

their right to vote, and 7 percent responded that it was their personal opinions that influenced

them. Factors such as “support for the candidate,” “cannot complain,” “habits,” and “all votes

count,” were among the least reasons given, each with 2.2 percent. On the other hand, when

asked to give the single most important reason why they do not vote, 40 percent said that voting

9
does not matter, followed by 27 percent that said they were not informed. Being uninterested in

politics and finding no differences among the candidates were reasons given by 13 percent and

11 percent of the respondents, respectively. “Being too busy” was the least reason for not

voting, given by 7 percent (see Tables A2 and A3).

Although 48.9 percent regarded voting as the most single important right as a citizen, 40

percent said that voting does not matter. Finding such a large percentage of respondents stating

that “voting does not matter” is consistent with the general pattern of nonvoting among African

American voters. Between 1964 and 2000, the percentage of nonvoting fluctuated from 43

percent to 60.4 percent (Walton, Jr. and Smith 2003). Many African-American voters are not

voting because in general they “lack the basic motivation and incentives essential for political

participation,” and hence, their dissatisfaction with electoral politics (Baker, Jones and Tate

1999, p.237).

Respondents were further asked about the kinds of civic activities in which they are

typically engaged. About 47 percent said that they helped the elderly, followed by 16 percent

that said that they donated to the church and community activities. The least activities in which

they were engaged are volunteering in political campaign and writing to government officials,

each with 4.4 percent (see Table A4). The latter finding is consistent with the literature that

there is a decline in political engagement among young Americans (Change, 2000; Census

Bureau, 2002).

Respondents were asked whether or not schools do not inform them about voting. About

42.2 percent said that schools do not inform them about voting, while 35.6 percent said schools

do inform them. A cumulative count of those who felt that the schools do not inform them and

those who felt the schools do inform them demonstrates a comparable percentage of 53.3 percent

and 44.5 percent, respectively (see Table A5). These results are consistent with Paul’s (2002)

findings that 50 percent of college students between the ages of 18 to 24 believe that schools do

not do a good job giving young people information they need to vote

10
 CORRELATION ANALYSIS

The relationship between the variable VOTING and the other variables was tested, using

correlation analysis (see page 7 for the list of the variables). The results are presented in Table 2.

All variables tested have the appropriate signs, and except for the variable GOVERNMENT,

they are statistically significant at either the 0.05 or 0.01 level.

Table 2

Correlation Coefficients Between Voting and Selected Variables

Variables r r2

American .429** .184

Career .586** .343

Community .718** .515

Education .601** .361

Family .716** .513

Finance .355** .126

Government -.169 .029

Official -.375* .141

N = 45.

Notes: * = significant at the 0.05 level.

** = significant at the 0.01 level.

While the variable GOVERNMENT is not correlated with the variable VOTING, there

is, however, a significantly negative correlation between VOTING and the impact of elected

officials’ decisions on students’ lives. This suggests that perhaps students can differentiate the

broad reference to government from the specific reference to elected officials. Students seem to

attribute the impact of government policies to the elected officials directly involved rather than to

the government in general. These correlations also indicate that the more elected officials’

11
decisions affect student’s lives, the less likely students will find voting that important. This may

also suggest that the more intrusive students find these officials’ decisions in their lives, the less

likely they will be involved in the electoral process and civic engagement. With 93 percent of

the students in the survey being African Americans, these results seem to be in accord with the

findings of other studies. For example, according to Wilson (2002) when African Americans

find government less important, they tend to be less involved in civic activities that are

associated with government.

The importance of becoming successful in their careers, the importance of education and

skills, and the importance of financial success are positively correlated with VOTING. These

variables may be related to the economy. When students attach importance to being successful

in these economic-related areas, they are more likely to find democracy and voting important.

Generally, democracies arise from market economies. As a society’s economy becomes more

market oriented, people tend to be more involved in choosing those who will formulate policies

that will have an impact on their resources, because they have a stake in the policy outcome.

With respect to education, it has been found that teaching democratic practices in institutions of

higher learning can enhance students’ knowledge of such practices which in turn can enhance

students’ intention to vote (Youniss, et al 2002). Furthermore, research has shown that education

promotes political participation (Baker, Jones and Tate, 1999). Thus, we find the importance of

career, education, and financial success being highly associated with voting. In fact, the

importance of career and education each explains more than a third of the variation in the

importance of voting (see Table 2). The importance of being an American also correlates with

voting. The importance attached to being an American may be a measure of the degree of

patriotism.

Being involved in one’s community and having a closed-knit family also appear to

influence voting. Interestingly, these variables (COMMUNITY and FAMILY) have the highest

explanatory power of 0.52 and 0.51, respectively. That is, each of these variables explains about

50 percent of the variation in the importance of voting among students. These results suggest

12
that involvement in the community and having a closed-knit family are important in promoting

voting and, hence, civic engagement among African-American students. These findings are in

accord with those of other studies. For example, Youniss et al. (2002, p.130) predict that civic

engagement of youth in the future depends in part on “how many families . . . are involved in

igniting and passing on a spirit and praxis of participation.” According to Wilson (2000),

students who are involved in community activities tend to be involved in political activities.

Putnam (1993) argues that “networks of civic engagement” produce better government. Sunden

and Raskoff (1994) find that, net of individual differences, the chances that a student will engage

in civic activities increase if the student attends a school that requires or encourages community

service. Thus, based on the findings of this study, as well as the literature reviewed, it appears

that institutions of higher learning, such as North Carolina Central University, that include

community service in their academic programs are in the right direction in promoting civic

engagement.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

The purpose of this study has been to analyze the extent of civic engagement among

college students and to determine some of the factors that are correlated with civic engagement

among these students. To this effect, a survey of 45 students at North Carolina Central

University, a predominantly Black institution, was conducted and analyzed using correlation

analysis. Most of the respondents considered voting to be an element of civic engagement.

Some of the factors or variables found to be correlated with voting include the importance of

being an American, being successful in one’s career, being involved in one’s community,

gaining an education, having a closed-knit family, having financial success, and the impact of

elected officials’ decisions on one’s life. The more importance students attach to these factors,

the more importance they attach to participating in voting and hence civic engagement.

Among the variables that are correlated with voting, the importance of being involved in

community activities and the importance of having a closed-knit family each explains more than

50 percent of the variation in the importance of voting. These variables were followed by the

13
importance of education and of career, explaining 36 percent and 34 percent of the variation in

voting, respectively. Based on these findings, as well as the literature reviewed, it appears that

institutions of higher learning that include community service in their academic programs are

contributing to the promotion of civic engagement and, hence, political participation.

This study, like other studies of this nature, has some limitations. Using zero order

correlation, the study does not control for other factors. Moreover, given that the study focuses

on a single institution, which is a predominantly Black university, the results may not be

generalized especially to institutions of diverse racial and ethnic groups. These limitations could

prove fruitful for further analysis. However, despite these limitations, the results of this study do

provide some insights into promoting civic engagement among students, especially in

historically Black institutions.

14
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Foundation and Wingspread Group on Higher Education. 15.

Baker, J., Lucius, M. H., Tate, J., & Tate, K. (1999). Black voters and electoral politics in
African Americans and the Political System. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Civic Engagement Renewing The Land-grant Mission. Retrieved from

http://www.umn.edu/cuvuc/about.html

Ewoh, Andrew, Elliot, E., & Guseh, J. (2002). Separatio n of Powers and Democratic Equity in
the 2000 Presidential Election. Public Integrity, 4, 225-237.

Gauging the Civic Engagement of College Graduates. (2000). Change, 32, 53-57.

Gwin-Parker, R., & Beth, M. (1998). Service Learning As Pedagogy and Civic Education:
Comparing Outcomes of Three Model of Teaching. Sociology, 26, 276-291.

Janger, S. (1998). Civic Improvements: Students Attitudes. Education Week, 17, 47-49.

Ladd, C. (1999). The American Way: Civic Engagement Thrives. Christian Science Monitor, 91,
9-11.

Paul, G. (2002) Democracy in the Classroom. Education, 123, 205-210.

Peters, G. (1999). American Public Policy. New York: Chatham House Publishers.

Putnam, R. (1993). Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy. Princeton:
Princeton University Press.

Putnam, R. (1995). Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital. Journal of Democracy,
6, 65-78.

Putnam, R. (1996). The Decline of Civil Society: How Come? So What? Optimum, 27, 26.

Reporting voting and registration of family members by age and family income. (2002). US
Census Bureau. Retrieved February 27, 2002 from http://www.census.gov

Salvatore, D. (1982) Statistics and Econometrics. New York: McGraw Hill Publishers.

Serow, R. & Dreyden, J. (1990). Community Service among College and University Students:
Adolescence, 25, 553-566.

Smyth, J. (2000). Reclaiming Social Capital Through Critical Teaching. The Elementary School
Journal, 100, 491-511.

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Sundeen, R. & Raskoff, S. (1994). Volunteering among teenagers in the United States. Nonprofit
and, 23, 383-403.

Van Benschoten, E. (2000). Youth-Led Civic Organizing: Countering Perceptions of Apathy and
Redefining Civic Engagement (A conversation with Joel Spoonhe im of the Active
Citizens School). National Civic Review, 89, 301-307.

Walker, T. (2000). The Service/ Politics Split: Rethinking Service to Teach Political
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Walton, H. & Smith, R. (2003). American Politics and the African American Quest for Universal
Freedom. New York: Longman.

Wilson, J. (2000). Volunteering. Annual Review of Sociology, 26, 21-240.

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 Table A 1

Voting as the Single Most Important Right

Categories Frequency Percentage

Strongly Agree 22 48.9
Agree 19 42.2
Strongly Disagree 1 2.2
Disagree 2 4.4
TOTAL 44 97.8
Missing System 1 2.2
Total 45 100

Table A 2

Why Vote?

Categories Frequency Percentage

Habit 1 2.2
Duty 7 15.6
Right 4 8.9
Matters of Future 2 4.4
My Opinion 3 6.7
Can’t Complain 1 2.2
All Vote Count 1 2.2
Support Candidate 1 2.2
Support Issue 2 4.4
Other 1 2.2
N/A 2 4.4
Total 25 55.6
Missing System 20 44.4
Total 45 100.0

17
 Table A 3

Why Not Vote?

Categories Frequency Percentage

No difference in candidate 5 11.1
Too busy 3 6.7
Uninformed 12 26.7
Vote no matter 18 40.0
Uninterested in politics 6 13.3
TOTAL 44 97.8
Missing system 1 2.2
TOTAL 45 100.0

Table A 4

Important Civic Activity

Categories Frequency Percentage

Help Elderly 21 46.7
Donate to church 7 15.6
Volunteer shelter, community groups 2 4.4
Join political organization 4 8.9
Read magazine/book 3 6.7
Participate in demonstration/march 3 6.7
Volunteer Political Campaign 2 4.4
Wrote letter to government official 2 4.4
TOTAL 44 97.8
Missing system 1 2.2
TOTAL 45 100.0

18
 Table A 5

Schools Do Not Inform Students About Voting

Categories Frequency Percentage

Strongly Agree 5 11.1
Agree 19 42.2
Strongly Disagree 4 8.9
Disagree 16 35.6
TOTAL 44 97.8
Missing System 1 2.2
Total 45 100.0

ENDNOTES

1
The survey was conducted in three political science courses consisting of two sections of the introductory course in
American government and one section of the course in scope and methods. Although these were political science
courses, all of the students in the classes were not political science majors. The instrument is available from the
authors.

2
According to the central limit theorem, the approximation is sufficiently good for a sample size
greater than or equal to 30 (See Salvatore, 1982, 62)
3
Two of the variables, GOVERNMENT and elected OFFICIALS, were measured on a different scale. Respondents
were asked to choose one of the answers given for each of the following questions: 1) How strong of an impact
does government decision have on your life, and 2) How strong of an impact does elected officials’ decisions have
on your life?

1. Very strong impact

2. Somewhat of an impact
3. Not a very strong impact
4. No impact at all

19