Newswise — As part of an effort to better understand voting and political participation in the United States, researchers at RTI International will join with colleagues at the University of Michigan and Stanford University to conduct the survey for the American National Election Study (ANES).
The ANES, begun in 1948, is the oldest continuous survey of electoral behavior and attitudes in the United States.
"For election researchers, the ANES is the primary source for information about political participation and voter perspectives," said Joe Eyerman, Ph.D., senior research methodologist at RTI International and project director for the study. "It really is the key resource for understanding our political system."
The 2008 ANES, funded by the National Science Foundation, will generate data for election research by policy makers, political scientists, psychologists, economists, sociologists and others. The data will also be a valuable source for classroom instruction.
More than 1,800 participants from across the country will be interviewed in-person by RTI researchers before and after the 2008 election to examine their voting behavior and attitudes.
"Studying voter behavior is essential for understanding the changing American culture," Eyerman said. "It helps our leaders design programs for a more representative government."
In cooperation with researchers at the University of Washington, the 2008 study will, for the first time, be offered in both English and Spanish and will include an increased sample of the Latino population, allowing for analysis of this rapidly growing segment of the electorate.
"It is important to gain a better understanding of how the Latino population participates in the election process," Eyerman said. "Latino voters already make up 6 percent of the American electorate, and of course in some states they are a much larger segment. And that number is only going to increase."
Other questions on the ANES will examine voting trends, such as the roles of race and religion in voter behavior, the media's impact on voter decision making, the effect of education levels on voter participation and candidate choice, and attitudes toward voting and political participation.
The study will include questions specific to the 2008 election as well as questions that have been included since 1948.
The data collected from both studies will be made available for public use on the ANES Web site at http://www.electionstudies.org
About RTI International RTI International is one of the world's leading research institutes, dedicated to improving the human condition by turning knowledge into practice. With projects in more than 40 countries and a staff of more than 2,600, RTI offers innovative research and technical solutions to governments and businesses worldwide in the areas of health and pharmaceuticals, education and training, surveys and statistics, advanced technology, democratic governance, economic and social development, energy, and the environment. For more information, visit http://www.rti.org.
RSS