Policy Brief
This study provides an analysis and evaluation of how celebrity engagement impacts civic participation in the United States. When and why do celebrities decide to use their influence to encourage civic engagement? What difference do their actions make?
A healthy democracy can be measured in many ways, with a core marker being the level of engagement in the process of electing public representatives. Unfortunately, despite record-breaking voter participation levels in recent elections, the United States still ranks 31st out of 50 developed nations in terms of eligible voter participation. Lagging voter engagement and rising distrust of political institutions weaken our democracy.
Today, many celebrities are involved in efforts to help boost civic interest, engagement, and participation while building goodwill with their fans. Celebrities, defined broadly as famous people, are distinctively positioned to tackle this critical issue because of their ability to garner media coverage, attract large crowds, reach their fans, and influence society.
This study focuses specifically on what celebrities are doing and can do, to promote voter participation, including voter education and mobilization efforts. However imperfectly, the impact of these efforts can be measured by examining whether they lead people to take actions related to voting, such as registering to vote, requesting a ballot, and casting a ballot.
Podcast
On this week’s episode of “Terms of Engagement,” Assistant Professor Joshua Ferrer joins co-hosts Archon Fung and Stephen Richer to discuss his research and explore whether election officials should be elected or appointed.
Podcast
On this week’s episode of “Terms of Engagement,” Miles Rapoport, former Senior Practice Fellow in American Democracy at the Ash Center, joins cohosts Archon Fung and Stephen Richer to discuss universal voting in the United States.
Podcast
High voter turnout is often celebrated as a sign of a healthy democracy, with election officials viewing strong participation as evidence of public engagement and political legitimacy. On Terms of Engagement, Professor Jason Brennan joins cohosts Archon Fung and Stephen Richer to examine whether higher turnout actually strengthens democracy.
Additional Resource
On campus last week, Allen Lab Fellow Joshua Darr shared his recent report, From Questions to Evidence, with Allen Lab members and Harvard’s Nieman Lab (A new report argues newsrooms need to do more experiments — like, the kind with randomization and results). Darr is the director of the Local NExT Lab at Syracuse University.
Policy Brief
A new policy brief explores how unions help members become more engaged in civic and political life.
Media Release
