[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-265548-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-265548-en":131},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","fault-lines-in-our-democracy-civic-knowledge-voting-behavior-and-civic-engagement-in-the-united-states-research-report","Fault Lines in Our Democracy - Civic Knowledge, Voting Behavior, and Civic Engagement in the United States - Research report","","Fault Lines in Our Democracy analyzes how civic knowledge, voting behavior, and civic engagement vary across segments of the U.S. population. The report highlights links between individual characteristics such as age, education, and income and participation in core democratic activities, including voting and volunteering. It emphasizes a widening civic empowerment gap predicted by disparities in engagement rates, and discusses why this matters for the health and stability of representative democracy. The document also reviews related concerns and frames recommendations based on the data.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/fault-lines-in-our-democracy-civic-knowledge-voting-behavior-and-civic-engagement-in-the-united-states-research-report/265548/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/fault-lines-in-our-democracy-civic-knowledge-voting-behavior-and-civic-engagement-in-the-united-states-research-report/265548.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Taylor Morgan","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-31","2026-09-14",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",15,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What civic issue does the report focus on?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"The report focuses on how fault lines in U.S. democracy are reflected in gaps in civic participation, especially voting and broader civic engagement.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"Which personal factors are linked to civic activities in the findings?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"The findings connect civic activities to factors such as age, education, and income, showing strong associations with voting and volunteering.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"Why is civic knowledge considered important for democracy?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"Civic knowledge supports trust in government and elected officials, promotes democratic institutions and values, and helps drive civic involvement such as voting and volunteering.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},265548,1789397487,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,101,106,111,115,120,123,127],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":97,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":98,"show_sort_weight":99,"slug":100},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":102,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":103,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":105},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":107,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":108,"show_sort_weight":109,"slug":110},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":112,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":113,"slug":114},8,30,"research-report",{"id":116,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":117,"show_sort_weight":118,"slug":119},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":118,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":121,"show_sort_weight":118,"slug":122},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":124,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":125,"show_sort_weight":124,"slug":126},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":128,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":129,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":130},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":132},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":133,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":134,"doc_module":4,"category_id":112,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":135,"file_id":136,"file_url":137,"file_type":138,"file_size":139,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":140,"language":141,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":142,"faqs":143,"seo_title":144,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":80,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},1099523885336,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_276721f389ce27ea32af1340a28f341c","Fault Lines in Our Democracy  \nCivic Knowledge, Voting Behavior, and Civic Engagement in the United States  \nThis report was written by:  \nRichard J. Coley  \nEducational Testing Service  \nAndrew Sum  \nCenter for Labor Market Studies Northeastern University  \nAuthor contacts:  \n[rcoley@ets.org](rcoley@ets.org)  \n[a.sum@neu.edu](a.sum@neu.edu)  \nThe views expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the officers and trustees of Educational Testing Service.  \nCopies can be downloaded from:  \n[www.ets.org/research](www.ets.org/research)  \nCopyright © 2012 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo and LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS) .  \nApril 2012  \nETS Center for Research on Human Capital and Education  \nResearch and Development  \nEducational Testing Service Rosedale Road  \nPrinceton, NJ 08541-0001 1-609-252-8671  \nTable of Contents  \nPreface .................................................................................................... 2  \nAcknowledgments .................................................................................. 2  \nExecutive Summary ............................................................................... 3  \nIntroduction ............................................................................................ 5  \nThe Status of Civics Knowledge and Education in Our Schools ........... 7  \nWho Votes and Who Doesn’t? ............................................................. 13  \nCivic Engagement ................................................................................ 21  \nAttitudes and Interests .......................................................................... 25  \nAn International Perspective on Adolescents’ Political Attitudes ........ 28  \nSummary and Conclusions ................................................................... 30  \nAppendix ............................................................................................... 36  \nWhen researchers report on gaps in educational attainment and income among different segments of the U.S. population, the most immediate concern is usually the long-term social impact that such gaps imply. As this year’s national elections quickly approach, authors Richard J. Coley and Andrew Sum suggest in this report that these gaps pose another, perhaps equally concerning, threat to the nation’s well being: They indicate fault lines in our democracy, because they reliably predict which groups are most or least likely to participate in the most fundamental activities of a representative democracy—voting and civic engagement.  \nBeginning with the dismal state of the civics knowledge of our nation’s students, the cornerstone of a strong democracy, the authors document the strong association between individual characteristics—such as age, education, and income—and important civic activities, such as voting and volunteering. Their analyses reveal a startling level of stratification at the nation’s  \npolling stations, from a voting rate of 3.5 percent for voting-age high school dropouts to 80.5 percent for well-off, advanced-degree holders between the ages of 55 and 64.“This,” they write,“represents a serious civic empowerment gap for our nation.”  \nAt ETS, this gap concerns us because we are dedicated to measuring knowledge and skills, promoting learning and educational performance, and supporting education and professional development for all people worldwide. We hope that readers will consider not only the authors’ thoughtful analysis of the data, but also their recommendations for addressing the educational needs that the data imply.  \nIda Lawrence  \nSenior Vice President  \nResearch & Development  \nAcknowledgments  \nThe authors wish to acknowledge the contributions of many individuals who played significant roles in the preparation of this report. At the Center for Labor Market Studies, we are","cbCaidxMzfNsuRq7","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaidxMzfNsuRq7","pdf",1141540,38,"English","# Preface\n# Acknowledgments\n# Executive Summary\n# Introduction\n# The Status of Civics Knowledge and Education in Our Schools\n# Who Votes and Who Doesn’t?\n# Civic Engagement\n# Attitudes and Interests\n# An International Perspective on Adolescents’ Political Attitudes\n# Summary and Conclusions\n# Appendix","[{\"question\":\"What civic issue does the report focus on?\",\"answer\":\"The report focuses on how fault lines in U.S. democracy are reflected in gaps in civic participation, especially voting and broader civic engagement.\"},{\"question\":\"Which personal factors are linked to civic activities in the findings?\",\"answer\":\"The findings connect civic activities to factors such as age, education, and income, showing strong associations with voting and volunteering.\"},{\"question\":\"Why is civic knowledge considered important for democracy?\",\"answer\":\"Civic knowledge supports trust in government and elected officials, promotes democratic institutions and values, and helps drive civic involvement such as voting and volunteering.\"}]","Fault Lines in Our Democracy - Civic Knowledge, Voting Behavior, and Civic Engagement in the United States - Research report | PDF",96]