Community service and political identity development in adolescence

Journal of Social Issues, Fall, 1998 by Miranda Yates, James Youniss

A related question pertained to the process that might help mediate continued service. We therefore assessed whether having family members or friends who did volunteer service was related to continued service. Of the 80 alumni who did not volunteer at survey, 33% had family members who were volunteering, and of the 37 alumni who were at the time volunteering, 65% did have other family members who were also then volunteering, [[Chi].sup.2] (1, 117) = 9.96, p [less than] .001. An even more striking result was obtained for the relationship between volunteering at survey and having friends who volunteered. Of the 80 alumni who were not volunteering at survey, 10% had friends who then volunteered, and of the 37 who were volunteering at survey, 49% had friends who also were then volunteering, [[Chi].sup.2] (1, 117) = 21.86, p [less than] .001.

These results help to specify at least part of the process that mediates continued service. One's close communities of families and friends help create an ethos that supports service and provides opportunities for service. This was found in our 1993-94 sample with respect to projected volunteering (Youniss & Yates, 1997) and has been reported for a national sample of high school students (Independent Sector, 1997), who said they learned about service opportunities from family and friends. Previous research on civil rights activists, crisis center volunteers, and inner-city adolescents engaged in extensive service activities also support the conclusion that family relationships can play an important role in encouraging service participation (Clary & Miller, 1986; Hart & Fegley, 1995; Rosenhan, 1970). Complementary research on the role of peers was not found in the literature, indicating a neglected area of study.

In keeping with findings reported by McAdam (1988) and Fendrich (1993), we wanted to determine next whether service at the time of the survey was part of a larger syndrome that included other signs of civic involvement. For this purpose we asked alumni whether they had voted in the most recent national or local elections at the time, those of 1992. We were unable to perform a statistical test because almost all the alumni from 1990 and 1985 had voted, leaving insufficient variation in the sample. Of the 60 alumni from the 1990 and 1985 classes, 87% said they had voted in the national and 77% said they had voted in the local 1992 elections. These high rates correspond to those reported by Fendrich (1993) for his college-educated Black sample, which he termed "ideal citizens." These rates of voting are higher than one finds in the general population or among Black citizens at large. In the 1992 presidential election, 39% of 18- to 20-year-olds and 46% of 21- to 24-year-olds reported voting. Among the Black voting age population, 54% reported voting in that election (U.S. Department of Commerce, 1994).

Six political themes in alumni essays. Of the 51 surveys that were returned by mail, 46 contained essays in which alumni responded to the probe: "Now that your time at high school and the soup kitchen are some years distant, please take a few moments to write a short essay reflecting upon the relationship between the values and ideas which you learned in junior religion, and the person you are today. Was a measurable, lasting impact made upon you in class and at the kitchen? In what ways? Or have the values and experience faded?" Twenty-two essays were written by the 1992 graduates, most of whom were now in college, 12 essays were received from 1990 graduates, and 12 essays were received from the 1985 graduates, who were now 11 years beyond their junior-year religion course.