Long-term Impacts of Civic Engagement during Emerging Adulthood: A Nationally-representative Study

Abstract

Purpose

We examined if civic engagement during emerging adulthood positively impacted a broad array of outcomes in middle adulthood, and if associations varied based on race, gender, age, and urban-rural status.

Design

Prospective design used to determine if civic engagement during emerging adulthood (M age = 21.81) predicted outcomes 15 years later.

Setting

Restricted data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health.

Subjects

Wave 1 participants who completed surveys 7 years (77% follow-up rate), 14 years (80% follow-up rate), and 22 years later (follow-up rate 72%) and who had valid sampling weight to ensure national representativeness (n = 9349).

Measures

Predictor - civic engagement; Outcomes-mental health, substance use, criminal behaviors, and healthy behavior.

Analysis

Linear regression using MPLUS 7.2.

Results

Civic engagement predicted lower levels of depressive symptoms (b = −1.05, SE = .28), criminal behaviors (b = −.47, SE = .12), and substance use (b = −.66, SE = .13), and higher levels of healthy behaviors (b = 1.26, SE = .19), after controlling for demographics, family, peer, neighborhood, and school-related background variables. Moderation analyses revealed that civic engagement benefited females and white participants more.

Conclusion

Civic engagement during emerging adulthood has a positive impact on a broad array of outcomes in middle adulthood. Implications and future research recommendations will be discussed.