Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE)

🔔 Calling All Gen Z Change Agents! Are you ready to make your mark? Join in PHILADELPHIA for the 2024 National Town Hall THIS SATURDAY, Sept. 7!

Participate in conversations to help us all – no matter what our political beliefs are – to think critically about the issues we care most about before we cast our votes this election season. Register today! 👉 bit.ly/3Ak82Pi

CIRCLE is proud to partner with the and other organizations for the National Town Hall!

This 3-part program will reach thousands of young people across the country through its live-streamed and live audience components including:
A moderated panel discussion among Gen Z women and gender-expansive individuals from diverse backgrounds, a presidential candidate forum, and local watch parties with get out the vote activations.

Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024 | 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET | Philadelphia, PA

Registration is now open: https://www.ywomenvote.org/national-town-hall

We're excited to dig into the 2022 national report from the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement, our fellow researchers at the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life.
Their data on college students' electoral engagement in the previous midterm is invaluable resource for voter education and engagement efforts in this presidential cycle.

2022 NSLVE National Data | National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement The National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) is the nation’s largest study of college and university student voting. Institutions must opt into the study, and at this time, over 1,250 campuses of all types—community colleges, research universities, minority-serving and women’...

We're hiring!

Position: CIRCLE Research Assistant, MA Civic Education Research and Administrative Support

Start date: September 2024
End date: May 2025
Hours: 12-15 hours per week, with a maximum of 20 hours/week

The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University’s Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life is looking for a graduate research assistant for the 2024-2025 school year to support a year-long curriculum implementation evaluation.

This project is based in Massachusetts, and candidates should be local to Massachusetts and able to travel periodically to collect data from participating schools and districts. The individual filling this position will work on the CIRCLE team to support both administrative and research processes related to a curriculum evaluation project.

The best-suited candidate for this position will possess both an acute attention to detail and the ability to work on multiple streams of work simultaneously. Example tasks include, but are not limited to, the following:
Email outreach and scheduling for data collection activities, coordinating communication between project stakeholders and internally for the CIRCLE team, supporting the development of observation and interview protocols, conducting classroom observations and semi-structured interviews, coding, analyzing, and reviewing qualitative data related to the project, supporting the creation and editing of periodic reports and presentations of findings, creation of data visualizations as needed, and attendance at project team meetings.

For more information and to apply, follow this link: https://buff.ly/3A5wbZM

Today is National Poll Worker Recruitment Day!

Did you know that in most states, teens can serve as poll workers even before they reach voting age? Our research has found that these are valuable opportunities for young people to participate in the democratic process and support their communities.

Support a young person in signing up to be a poll worker today!

Youth Poll Worker Programs are a Key but Underused Way to Grow Voters Lead Author: Ruby Belle Booth, Elections Coordinator Contributors: Alberto Medina, Sara Suzuki

There’s still time to register for our Virtual forum tonight at 6:30 pm. We will have guest speakers from Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Massachusetts Voter Table & from MassVOTE we have their executive director Cheryl Clyburn Crawford joining us! We’re excited to be talking about how important your vote is especially as a woman of color and ally, voter turnout strategies, and more ✊🏾🗳️ registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xRI3Kt8NTWycyvCGbjNxHw?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR0uB3r9ejK_9pqqZLZtbIkm6arfxEoEP_yN5_-Bjp1hEu4j0WsQ30wksLk_aem_k5O9-3looZlYs_ItwlguLA #/registration ✨
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There’s still time to register for our Virtual forum tomorrow evening. We will have guest speakers from Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), MassVOTE Massachusetts Voter Table & from League of Women Voters of Massachusetts we have their executive director Pattye Comfort joining us! We’re excited to be talking about how important your vote is especially as a woman of color and ally! ✊🏾🗳️ registration link in bio ✨
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A new CIRCLE analysis of youth voter registration in 36 states shows that most states are far behind November 2020 in the number of young people registered to vote.

New voters face the biggest challenge: in every state for which we have data, there are fewer 18 and 19-year-olds registered to vote now than in November of 2020.

Read the research here: https://buff.ly/46aiTH4

How You Can Shape the 2024 Election As a High School Student Even if you can’t vote this year, you can still play a critical role in the election.

It's no secret that many young people aren't excited about their choices in the 2024 presidential election—even as most of them still plan to vote.

In a new op-ed for U.S. News and World Report, our director Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg makes the case for leaning in on reaching, engaging, and mobilizing youth in this moment by embracing their diversity and focusing on the issues they care about.

Youth Are Turned Off by the 2024 Election. We Can Still Engage and Mobilize Them. The secret to engaging young voters? Talk, listen and focus on their big issues.

A Message from CIRCLE Director Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg and Deputy Director Abby Kiesa: https://circle.tufts.edu/message-circle-director-kei-kawashima-ginsberg-and-deputy-director-abby-kiesa

NEW: According to CIRCLE's pre-2024 election survey, q***r youth make up more than 1 in 5 young people. They're civically engaged and concerned about issues like climate, racism + abortion—but struggling with mental health and lacking community support.

Read the research here: https://buff.ly/4c4n1dv

We’re so excited and humbled to be at the Youth Engagement Fund’s first multi-state convening this week, sharing our work and listening intently to what young leaders need in this moment.

Here’s our director Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg with fellow panelists from Re:power and The Management Center sharing insights on capacity-building for movement organizations!

Our recent research reveals that rural youth are less likely to feel that civic education has influenced their understanding of our democratic system. Youth say they need more than just access to information and opportunities; they require support to vote and engage in civic action.

Read the research here: https://buff.ly/3KcQqq3

11 states have joined together to create the first Youth Mental Health Corps. reports the initiative will aid youth and create jobs addressing the mental health professional shortage. https://buff.ly/3QOO9VG.

Youth civic engagement can be associated with worse mental health, but access to community can help.

Read our research here: https://buff.ly/4dBAk6S

States like Idaho, Florida, Kansas, Missouri, Montana and Tennessee have had their facilitative election laws overturned or drastically changed since 2020.

Read the story here, https://buff.ly/4bEO7I4 and check out our friends at !

Learn more about facilitative election laws here: https://buff.ly/4a7DADV

More than 8 million young people have turned or will turn 18 between 2022's midterms and the 2024 election.

Here are 24 ways to grow voters before the 2024 Elections: https://buff.ly/44HEdDc

Our friends at CourageousRI at are hosting a Youth Media Contest!

The deadline for video, audio, design and print submissions has been extended to May 22nd. They're offering $7000 in prizes, including a $1000 grand prize, to creative works from middle, high school and university students across the world that tackle issues of disinformation, political division, radicalization and violent extremism.

This contest is looking for creative work that addresses the question: How can media literacy, active listening, kindness and compassion, and community engagement reduce the hate and fear that leads to violence?

Sign up here: https://buff.ly/4dIyaCG

May is !

Our poll of youth (18-34) ahead of the 2024 election highlights major trends in young people's views.

Nearly half surveyed said they’re struggling with mental health issues - those who do are less likely to vote.

Read the report: https://circle.tufts.edu/2024-election-youth-poll -and-support,-key-to-youth-engagement,-are-often-still-lacking

May is !

Our poll of youth (18-34) ahead of the 2024 election highlights major trends in young people's views.

Nearly half surveyed said they’re struggling with mental health issues - those who do are less likely to vote.

Read the report: https://buff.ly/3ytphfK

Part of our work is about dispelling myths and misinformation about young people.

The truth is that youth today are not apathetic - they vote at the same level or higher than other generations did at the same age.

Read the story here: https://buff.ly/3y9MH9T

Youth voting thrives in states that support it!

CIRCLE Researcher Peter de Guzman talks facilitative election laws in this article from

Read the story here: https://www.yesmagazine.org/democracy/2024/05/02/2024-election-student-voting-genz

Read the research here: https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/facilitative-election-laws

May is Asian American/Pacific Islander Heritage Month!
Research from 2023 said Asian American youth are as likely to be interested and engaged in civic life as their peers, but they’re less likely to feel politically qualified.

Read the research here: https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/young-asian-americans-informed-engaged-still-face-barriers-vote

22% of youth voters in Florida turned out in 2022, only slightly below the national average.

Our research from 2022 demonstrates how abortion has affected past elections.

Read the research here: https://buff.ly/4aYTdiv and read the story here: https://buff.ly/44s1tF5

20 years of research and expertise on civic education have taught us that young people need and deserve an education about how the United States’ constitutional democracy, its people, and its institutions work together.

Recent research shows that students across the nation are losing proficiency in both history and civics - read the story from here: https://www.wfmz.com/news/national-test-scores-reveal-us-students-losing-proficiency-in-history-and-civics/collection_9d8d0ec2-054b-5f11-aabe-1303285b4521.html #4

31% of young Pennsylvania voters turned out in 2022, higher than the national average. The election was close, with the vote difference within 3 percentage points.

What could 2024 hold?
Read the story here: https://buff.ly/4aBO6Vb

In 2022, Colorado's youth voter turnout was 33%, much higher than the national average of 23%. How are students in Colorado preparing for this 2024 elections?

Read the story here: https://buff.ly/3UqxVEy

Happy ! Our pre-election report, based on data from CIRCLE’s nationally representative survey of young people ages 18-34, examined patterns in young people’s relationship to climate change.

Our analysis identified four groups of youth whose connection—or lack thereof—to the climate issue can influence future efforts to engage them. Read the report here: https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/concern-climate-change-directly-informs-youth-civic-engagement

Our research shows that election laws have a direct impact on everyone, and young voters are no exception.

Read the full story from Zócalo Public Square here: https://www.zocalopublicsquare.org/2024/04/18/young-youth-americans-voters-rock-the-vote/ideas/essay/