Chapter 12 Civility and Citizenship
A free society needs its citizens to engage in community activities and show civility, which means respecting the social order. Without civility, freedom can turn into control to keep things organized. Cognitive ability, or intelligence, is important for encouraging civility and good citizenship. Studies show that smarter children understand politics better and are more likely to get involved as they grow older. This shows that intelligence matters more than socioeconomic status when it comes to political engagement. For adults, education is the best predictor of whether someone will participate in politics; those with less education tend to be less involved, regardless of their income. Intelligent young people often demonstrate traditional values, such as staying in school and being dedicated to their responsibilities, which helps maintain a civil society. While many everyday acts of civility are hard to measure, they are crucial for building community connections. In contrast, crime represents a breakdown of this civility and is often linked to lower cognitive abilities.
Political Participation Outcropping of Civility
Political participation, like voting, is connected to civility, but it doesn't define it completely. Some people attend meetings or vote but can be negative influences on their community. Voting can seem small in impact, as it rarely decides elections, yet it reflects civic duty and engagement. Aristotle's idea that humans are naturally political emphasizes that participating in democracy, even in small ways, contributes to civility. Thus, consistent voters often display a greater awareness of their responsibilities as citizens and neighbors than those who do not participate as actively.
Developing Civility in Children
Studies show that intelligence is closely connected to how involved children are in politics. Research on children has been easier than on adults because kids don’t have complicated political interests. A major study included 12,000 children from different socioeconomic backgrounds and found that younger kids see the government as individual people, while older kids understand it as institutions. Kids from wealthier families learn about politics faster. Surprisingly, intelligence had a bigger impact on political knowledge and activity than socioeconomic status. Smarter children, even from poor families, were more interested in politics and understood civic duties better than those with lower intelligence. Another study of high school students also found that political behaviors were mainly linked to intelligence. Overall, intelligence significantly affects how children learn about politics and participate in civic life, more than their family's economic situation.
Voting Behavior Among Adults
Social scientists study how adults vote, focusing on factors like socioeconomic status and education. Voter turnout in federal elections can range from 25 to 70 percent, with presidential elections usually seeing 45 to 60 percent of people casting their votes. The difference between those who vote and those who don’t provides valuable information about voting behavior.
Research shows that socioeconomic status affects voting. Rich people, college graduates, and white-collar workers tend to vote more than poorer people and those with less education. One significant study looked at various political activities and found that lower participation rates are strongly linked to lower socioeconomic status.
Further studies indicate that education is the main factor influencing whether someone will vote. A college education increases the likelihood of voting significantly compared to those with little education. Even wealthy individuals who lack formal education are less likely to vote than educated people with lower income levels. This suggests that education not only improves knowledge about political issues but also makes people feel more inclined to participate in elections.
Some researchers believe that the connection between education and voting is more important than socioeconomic status itself. This view helps explain why more educated individuals, who are often from higher socioeconomic backgrounds, are more likely to vote. They tend to participate because they feel it is their civic duty rather than just for personal benefit.
The link between intelligence and voting has also been explored. Studies show that rated intelligence can help predict how politically engaged a person is. This means that being smarter may encourage people to be involved in politics, even more than their income or level of education does.
In summary, while other factors like age, gender, and ethnicity play a role in voting, education and intelligence are the key factors that influence political participation. Understanding these connections is essential for grasping why some people are more likely to vote than others.
Middle-Class Values: Data From the Nlsy
Middle-class values are important for making communities strong and organized, even though some academics may look down on them. An analysis used data from the NLSY to focus on people who follow these values, such as finishing high school, staying employed, and having no criminal record. The Middle Class Values (MCV) Index was created to score individuals based on these behaviors. A person could earn a “Yes” score even if they faced financial struggles if they met the other conditions.
About half of the people assessed scored “Yes,” and those with higher scores tended to have better cognitive abilities. While a person's background can influence these values, intelligence was found to be even more important. The MCV Index is a tool that shows how middle-class values relate to civility in young adults and highlights the basic virtues associated with intelligence. The main idea is to show how these values help form the backbone of American communities.
The Difference Between Being Smart and Being Civil
Cognitive ability plays a role in civility, but it is not the focus. While smarter individuals can better navigate complex issues and understand different viewpoints, intelligence alone does not guarantee civil behavior. Many intelligent people can act uncivilly, showing that basic civility and morality do not require high intelligence. However, generally, a smarter population tends to be more capable of engaging in civil behavior. This is important for societies that value individual freedom and autonomy.
A free society needs its citizens to engage in community activities and show civility, which means respecting the social order. Without civility, freedom can turn into control to keep things organized. Cognitive ability, or intelligence, is important for encouraging civility and good citizenship. Studies show that smarter children understand politics better and are more likely to get involved as they grow older. This shows that intelligence matters more than socioeconomic status when it comes to political engagement. For adults, education is the best predictor of whether someone will participate in politics; those with less education tend to be less involved, regardless of their income. Intelligent young people often demonstrate traditional values, such as staying in school and being dedicated to their responsibilities, which helps maintain a civil society. While many everyday acts of civility are hard to measure, they are crucial for building community connections. In contrast, crime represents a breakdown of this civility and is often linked to lower cognitive abilities.
Political Participation Outcropping of Civility
Political participation, like voting, is connected to civility, but it doesn't define it completely. Some people attend meetings or vote but can be negative influences on their community. Voting can seem small in impact, as it rarely decides elections, yet it reflects civic duty and engagement. Aristotle's idea that humans are naturally political emphasizes that participating in democracy, even in small ways, contributes to civility. Thus, consistent voters often display a greater awareness of their responsibilities as citizens and neighbors than those who do not participate as actively.
Developing Civility in Children
Studies show that intelligence is closely connected to how involved children are in politics. Research on children has been easier than on adults because kids don’t have complicated political interests. A major study included 12,000 children from different socioeconomic backgrounds and found that younger kids see the government as individual people, while older kids understand it as institutions. Kids from wealthier families learn about politics faster. Surprisingly, intelligence had a bigger impact on political knowledge and activity than socioeconomic status. Smarter children, even from poor families, were more interested in politics and understood civic duties better than those with lower intelligence. Another study of high school students also found that political behaviors were mainly linked to intelligence. Overall, intelligence significantly affects how children learn about politics and participate in civic life, more than their family's economic situation.
Voting Behavior Among Adults
Social scientists study how adults vote, focusing on factors like socioeconomic status and education. Voter turnout in federal elections can range from 25 to 70 percent, with presidential elections usually seeing 45 to 60 percent of people casting their votes. The difference between those who vote and those who don’t provides valuable information about voting behavior.
Research shows that socioeconomic status affects voting. Rich people, college graduates, and white-collar workers tend to vote more than poorer people and those with less education. One significant study looked at various political activities and found that lower participation rates are strongly linked to lower socioeconomic status.
Further studies indicate that education is the main factor influencing whether someone will vote. A college education increases the likelihood of voting significantly compared to those with little education. Even wealthy individuals who lack formal education are less likely to vote than educated people with lower income levels. This suggests that education not only improves knowledge about political issues but also makes people feel more inclined to participate in elections.
Some researchers believe that the connection between education and voting is more important than socioeconomic status itself. This view helps explain why more educated individuals, who are often from higher socioeconomic backgrounds, are more likely to vote. They tend to participate because they feel it is their civic duty rather than just for personal benefit.
The link between intelligence and voting has also been explored. Studies show that rated intelligence can help predict how politically engaged a person is. This means that being smarter may encourage people to be involved in politics, even more than their income or level of education does.
In summary, while other factors like age, gender, and ethnicity play a role in voting, education and intelligence are the key factors that influence political participation. Understanding these connections is essential for grasping why some people are more likely to vote than others.
Middle-Class Values: Data From the Nlsy
Middle-class values are important for making communities strong and organized, even though some academics may look down on them. An analysis used data from the NLSY to focus on people who follow these values, such as finishing high school, staying employed, and having no criminal record. The Middle Class Values (MCV) Index was created to score individuals based on these behaviors. A person could earn a “Yes” score even if they faced financial struggles if they met the other conditions.
About half of the people assessed scored “Yes,” and those with higher scores tended to have better cognitive abilities. While a person's background can influence these values, intelligence was found to be even more important. The MCV Index is a tool that shows how middle-class values relate to civility in young adults and highlights the basic virtues associated with intelligence. The main idea is to show how these values help form the backbone of American communities.
The Difference Between Being Smart and Being Civil
Cognitive ability plays a role in civility, but it is not the focus. While smarter individuals can better navigate complex issues and understand different viewpoints, intelligence alone does not guarantee civil behavior. Many intelligent people can act uncivilly, showing that basic civility and morality do not require high intelligence. However, generally, a smarter population tends to be more capable of engaging in civil behavior. This is important for societies that value individual freedom and autonomy.