Maternal Education and Voting
Academic Level at Time of Presentation
Senior
Major
Political Science/Pre-Prof Legal Studies
List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)
Dr. Brittany Wood
Presentation Format
Oral Presentation
Abstract/Description
What role does a mother play in the political socialization of her children? Family background and parental education directly impacts the level of political participation of their children. While existing research finds that individuals raised by highly educated parents are more likely to vote, most studies aggregate parental education into a single household measure. Here, I hypothesize that mothers exert a distinct and long-term influence on children’s voting turnout through both resource transmission and early political socialization. I test this theory with data from the 2024 General Social Survey using logistic regression to estimate the relationship between maternal education and voter turnout in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. I conclude that mothers are crucial for the development of voting behavior for her children. Understanding how mothers impact the political behavior of her children can help clarify how political participation and civic engagement are transmitted across generations and how inequalities in turnout may persist over time.
Fall Scholars Week 2025
Political Science and Sociology Department Panel
Spring Scholars Week 2026
Political Science and Sociology Department Panel
Maternal Education and Voting
What role does a mother play in the political socialization of her children? Family background and parental education directly impacts the level of political participation of their children. While existing research finds that individuals raised by highly educated parents are more likely to vote, most studies aggregate parental education into a single household measure. Here, I hypothesize that mothers exert a distinct and long-term influence on children’s voting turnout through both resource transmission and early political socialization. I test this theory with data from the 2024 General Social Survey using logistic regression to estimate the relationship between maternal education and voter turnout in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. I conclude that mothers are crucial for the development of voting behavior for her children. Understanding how mothers impact the political behavior of her children can help clarify how political participation and civic engagement are transmitted across generations and how inequalities in turnout may persist over time.