When young people get involved in online communities, it leads them toward politics

[Commentary] We analyzed data from the Youth Participatory Politics (YPP) Survey, which we collected in partnership with political scientist Cathy Cohen and her team at the University of Chicago. Here's what we found:

When young people are involved in nonpolitical online communities, they become more likely to participate in politics.
Young people involved in nonpolitical online communities become more likely to take part in political discussions online and to be encouraged to vote.
Young people with large online social network are more likely to be exposed to politics.

In summary, online communities aren’t the problem. In fact, they might be part of the solution. Online communities appear to provide pathways into political engagement. Of course, online social activity isn’t enough to guarantee a robust and healthy civic life. Youth turnout in the 2014 elections was a record low, with fewer than 20 percent of 18 to 24 year-olds voting. This figure should concern everyone interested in the political engagement of American youth. But online communities might be a good place to start for those who want to activate young voters in 2016 and beyond.

[Benjamin Bowyer is a lecturer in political science at Santa Clara University. Joseph Kahne is the Ted and Jo Dutton Presidential Professor of Educational Policy and Politics at the University of California at Riverside.]