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Civic Engagement and Education: An Empirical Test of the Sorting Model

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  • David E. Campbell

Abstract

According to the sorting model of education, the impact of education on civic engagement is relative, rather than absolute. Education correlates with greater engagement because it is a marker of social status; the degree of status conferred by your level of education is determined by the average level of education within your environment. This article tests the sorting model by paying strict heed to its assumptions. The analysis confirms the model, but considerably narrows its reach. Sorting applies only to one particular type (electoral activity), only when the educational environment accounts for variation across age and place, and only when one models the interactive relationship between education at the individual and environmental levels. Furthermore, sorting applies more to men than women. The same analytical framework demonstrates that being in a more highly educated environment amplifies the relationship between education and democratic enlightenment (political knowledge and tolerance).

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  • David E. Campbell, 2009. "Civic Engagement and Education: An Empirical Test of the Sorting Model," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 53(4), pages 771-786, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:amposc:v:53:y:2009:i:4:p:771-786
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-5907.2009.00400.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Arnaud Chevalier & Orla Doyle, 2012. "Schooling and voter turnout : is there an American exception?," Working Papers 201213, School of Economics, University College Dublin.
    2. Lindgren, Karl-Oskar & Oskarsson, Sven & Persson, Mikael, 2019. "Access to education and political candidacy: Lessons from school openings in Sweden," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 138-148.
    3. Le, Kien & Nguyen, My, 2021. "Education and political engagement," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    4. Dian-Fu Chang & Tsun-Ning Chang & Chia-Chi Chen, 2021. "Exploring the Effect of College Students’ Civic Engagement on Transferable Capabilities during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-15, October.
    5. Christophe Muller & Marc Vothknecht, 2011. "Group Violence, Ethnic Diversity, and Citizen Participation: Evidence from Indonesia," Research Working Papers 48, MICROCON - A Micro Level Analysis of Violent Conflict.
    6. Jinho Kim, 2020. "The Effect of Classmates’ Maternal College Attainment on Volunteering in Young Adulthood," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 101(6), pages 2289-2311, October.
    7. Persson, Mikael & Lindgren, Karl-Oskar & Oskarsson, Sven, 2016. "How does education affect adolescents’ political development?," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 182-193.
    8. Lindgren, Karl-Oskar & Oskarsson, Sven & T Dawes, Christopher, 2014. "Can political inequalities be educated away? Evidence from a Swedish school reform," Working Paper Series 2014:29, IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy.
    9. Schweisfurth, Michele & Davies, Lynn & Symaco, Lorraine Pe & Valiente, Oscar, 2018. "Higher education, bridging capital, and developmental leadership in the Philippines: Learning to be a crossover reformer," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 1-8.
    10. Francisco Olivos & Pablo Olivos-Jara & Magdalena Browne, 2021. "Asymmetric Social Comparison and Life Satisfaction in Social Networks," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 22(1), pages 363-384, January.
    11. Leguizamon, Sebastian & Leguizamon, Susane & Christafore, David, 2013. "Education, race and revealed attitudes towards homosexual couples," MPRA Paper 47068, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Luo, Ya-Hui & Chen, Kuang-Hui, 2018. "Education expansion and its effects on gender gaps in educational attainment and political knowledge in Taiwan from 1992 to 2012," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 88-99.
    13. Patricio Valdivieso & Benjamín Villena-Roldán, 2012. "Participation in Organizations, Trust, and Social Capital Formation: Evidence from Chile," Documentos de Trabajo 293, Centro de Economía Aplicada, Universidad de Chile.
    14. Carrie B. Myers & Scott M. Myers & Martha Peters, 2019. "The Longitudinal Connections Between Undergraduate High Impact Curriculum Practices and Civic Engagement in Adulthood," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 60(1), pages 83-110, February.
    15. Yeaji Kim, 2023. "Absolutely Relative: How Education Shapes Voter Turnout in the United States," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 168(1), pages 447-469, August.

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