Why we vote : how schools and communities shape our civic life / David E. Campbell.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [243]-259) and index.

Ch. 1. Introduction : voting alone -- Pt. 1. What you do now depends on where you are now -- Ch. 2. Putting Madison and Tocqueville to the test : the dual motivations theory of public engagement -- Ch. 3. Further implications of the dual motivations theory -- Ch. 4. Social networks -- Pt. 2. What you did then depends on where you were then -- Ch. 5. Social environments and adolescents' public engagement -- Pt. 3. What you do now depends on what you did then -- Ch. 6. The links between adolescents' and adults' public engagement -- Pt. 4. What you do now depends on where you were then -- Ch. 7. Adolescents' social environments and adults' public engagement : the civic motivation model -- Ch. 8. Conclusion : implications for theory and policy.

"Why do more people vote - or get involved in other civic and political activities - in some communities than in others? Why We Vote demonstrates that our communities shape our civic and political engagement, and that schools are especially significant communities for fostering strong civic norms." "Much of the research on political participation has found that levels of participation are higher in diverse communities where issues important to voters are hotly contested. In this book, David Campbell finds support for this view, but also shows that homogenous communities often have very high levels of civic participation despite a lack of political conflict." "Campbell maintains that this sense of civic duty springs not only from one's current social environment, but also from one's early influences. The degree to which people feel a sense of civic obligation stems, in part, from their adolescent experience. Being raised and thus socialized in a community with strong civic norms leads people to be civically engaged in adulthood. Campbell demonstrates how the civic norms within one's high school impact individuals' civic involvement - even a decade and a half after those individuals have graduated."--BOOK JACKET.