The influence of becoming a parent on political participation in the United States

Robert A. Jackson and Matthew Pietryka

Social Science Quarterly, 2022, vol. 103, issue 3, 565-580

Abstract: Objective Focusing on the United States, this study assesses the near‐term influence of introducing a child into a household on a parent's likelihood of participating in politics. Methods Logistic regression analysis and exact matching of data from the November 2010 and November 2014 Current Population Surveys. Conditional, fixed‐effects logistic reygression analysis of data from the 2010–2014 Cooperative Congressional Election Study Panel Survey. Results Cross‐sectional regressions and exact‐matching results indicate a negative relationship between becoming a parent and numerous forms of political participation, including voter turnout. However, recognizing potential threats to causal inference, analyses that leverage panel data and sensitivity analysis applied to the exact‐matching estimates provide weaker support for a causal claim. Conclusion The introduction of a child into a household appears to be associated with attenuated parental civic engagement in the near term, but the evidence provides weaker support for a causal claim.

Date: 2022
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