Assessing the Effectiveness of Youth Engagement Initiatives - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Assessing the Effectiveness of Youth Engagement Initiatives Elections Canada 2013 BC Provincial General Election Conference University of British Columbia Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions January 31st February 1st, 2014
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2013 BC Provincial General Election Conference University of British Columbia – Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions January 31st – February 1st, 2014
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– What’s the theory/logic of the project/program? – Was the project/program delivered as intended? – What went well? What could be improved?
– To do / to use evaluations (think evaluatively)
– Contribute to broader learning
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Inputs Activities Outputs Immediate Outcomes Intermediate Outcomes Ultimate Outcomes Resources:
Products developed Promotions Events # orders # students reached # forms distributed / completed Learning Knowledge Interest Discussion Registering Teaching methods Voting Sustained interest Participation Voting External Context
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*While targeted to Grades 5 and higher, all grades may participate, and students as young as kindergarten do. Teachers in middle school (intermediate) select the curriculum appropriate for their class. Since 2006, over 60% of registered schools have been elementary or middle schools.
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taken/taught a class related to civics during that school year
Students Teachers Parents
Pre- Post- Pre- Post- Pre- Post- Treatment 14,754 3,780 1,341 341 Control 1,071 106
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– Number of years teaching civics is significant (+) – Elementary teachers feel less informed than other teachers (secondary or middle)
– 85% participants say confidence increased – Only 65% of control group report feeling confident teaching civics
– 95% state they are very likely – High praise for materials and support received
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– 61% of parents felt that their child’s participation in the SVP increased their own knowledge of politics and elections – 84% felt that it provided their family with more opportunities to learn about politics
– 65% of parents felt that it increased their own interest – 86% believe the SVP motivated their child to discuss politics
– Of the 73% who reported voting, 20% said that their child’s participation in SVP positively influenced their decision to vote
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– Number of correct responses (pre- vs. post)
– Number of correct responses (participants vs. control)
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– discussion with parents increased significantly as a result of SVP participation – especially in secondary students
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82% 90% 84% 18% 10% 16%
Non-Participant (Control) Post-Program Participant Pre-Program Participant Yes No
Question: If you had been eligible to vote in the federal general election that was held on May 2nd, would you have voted?
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– Confusing question wording (“eligible”) – Many responded “not old enough” to open-ended follow up question – “Real” versus “parallel”
future voting behaviour?
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– Pre- vs. post: no significant difference – Confidence much higher among control group (over-confident?) – But: Parallel election had positive impact
– Frequencies (pre/post/control): no difference – Regression: mixed results
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– Expand efforts to reach civics and social studies teachers – Engage official parties
– Experiential civics between official election periods
– Review survey instruments – Consider research to determine impact on voting through a ‘longitudinal’ study
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1. Education for Civic and Community Organizations 2. Youth Voter Registration Campaign
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1. Group Registration/Turnout Comparison 2. Interviews with local organizations
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– to get a deeper sense of their experiences in youth electoral engagement
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– 51 events attended (target: 40) – 10,511 interactions (target: 14,000) – 390 “Register to Vote” packages given out – 511 “BC Has More Ways to Vote” packages given
– 572 completed 200A forms (target: 8000)
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Create Confirm Update Total 18-24 164 40 102 306 25-29 36 18 91 145 30-34 8 13 22 43 35-39 3 6 5 14 Total 211 77 220 508
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Create Confirm Update Total 18-24
Y : 90 N : 74 Y : 28 N : 12 Y : 68 N : 34 Y : 186 N : 120
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Y : 13 N : 23 Y : 13 N : 5 Y : 50 N : 41 Y : 76 N : 69
30-34
Y : 5 N : 3 Y : 9 N : 4 Y : 20 N : 2 Y : 34 N : 9
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Y : 1 N : 2 Y : 6 N : 0 Y : 3 N : 2 Y : 10 N : 4
Total
Y : 109 N : 102 Y : 56 N : 21 Y : 141 N : 79 Y : 306 N : 202
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– Raise awareness and understanding of the issue among target audiences (youth-serving orgs) – Showcase/encourage target audiences to invest and take action on the issue
– New website: youth engagement research / tools – Regional workshop series (spring – fall 2014) – National conference (winter 2015)
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Miriam Lapp Assistant Director Outreach and Research Elections Canada Miriam.Lapp@elections.ca