Consequences of Secular and Religious Civic Education Among Youth

Debate persists as to whether, and under what conditions, civic education increases political knowledge and political participation, particularly among younger voters who, worldwide, exhibit the lowest levels of political participation. Some studies suggest that civic education programs can successfully raise awareness and mobilize youth, while others find that the consequences of such programs on political behavior are limited and potentially driven by self-selection or non-cognitive factors. Additionally, despite that fact that Christian churches and coalitions of faith-based organizations are among the most prevalent providers of civic education programs world-wide, we lack rigorous analyses of whether religious content (i.e., motivational messages) affects the influence of civic education on political knowledge and behavior. This project will contribute new experimental evidence to address these questions through a community-collaborative study in Zambia -- an overwhelmingly Christian country with a general election in 2021. Specifically, working with Zambia's major religious coalitions, we randomly assign youth (ages 18-35) into WhatsApp-based civic education programs that include either religious or secular motivational messages or only civic information. We will then measure youth knowledge, attitudes and political participation in the lead up to and following the 2021 general elections. This WhatsApp-based study follows an in-person pilot study conducted in early 2020, prior to the spread of COVID-19. Due to COVID-19 concerns, this study will use only remote technology.