Keywords
Political Efficacy; Political Knowledge; Religiosity; Young Voters; Political Engagement
Abstract
As political engagement trends among young voters have continued to shift in the United States' political atmosphere, understanding the cognitive factors that influence these decisions is becoming increasingly important. Political efficacy, or the feeling that individual political action can impact the political process, impacting their civic duties, has long been regarded as a key determinant of an individual's political engagement. This study investigates how young voters' understanding of prominent political arguments relates to their sense of political efficacy, with a specific lens on individual religiosity.
Through an examination of this relationship between religiosity and overall comprehension of political arguments, this research aims to identify whether religious narratives within political affairs enhance or hinder understanding and efficacy among young voters.
Ultimately, the results indicate that an individual's religiosity does not significantly impact their understanding of political arguments. From this, it can be interpreted further that religiosity does not inherently increase one's political efficacy. This suggests that research should continue to examine the intersection of religiosity and one's understanding of political affairs, particularly on cultural issues. Determining factors that influence political efficacy is crucial, given that political efficacy is a key determinant of political participation.
Thesis Completion Year
2025
Thesis Completion Semester
Spring
Thesis Chair
Ilderton, Nathan
College
College of Sciences
Department
School of Politics, Security, & International Affairs
Thesis Discipline
Political Science
Language
English
Access Status
Open Access
Length of Campus Access
None
Campus Location
Orlando (Main) Campus
Subjects
Youth--Religion; Political participation--Religious aspects; Voting--Religious aspects; Youth--Political activity; Religion and politics--Public opinion
STARS Citation
Sackett, Norah, "The Impact Of Religiosity On Political Knowledge Among Youth Voters" (2025). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 255.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hut2024/255
Included in
American Politics Commons, Cognition and Perception Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Sociology of Religion Commons
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