The perception of control (POC), a concept from social psychology, is a feeling or belief that individuals have about how much they can control some aspects of the world. This project examines the theory that an individual's level of perceived control over the political world (e.g., election outcomes and government policy) is a critical factor in determining his or her level of civic engagement and political participation.
This project focuses on four primary research goals. First, it provides the research community with an accurate way to measure POC in citizen surveys. Second, it demonstrates that the POC construct is both distinct from and superior to existing measures in the political science literature (e.g., political efficacy). Third, it provides data to test hypotheses derived from the POC theory. Fourth, the project provides the scientific community with the methodology to measure POC in a cost-effective way through the use of computerized psychological testing techniques.
Research on POC is important, because citizens with high POC are more likely to fulfill the role of the "good citizen." Individuals with higher POC should theoretically pay more attention to politics and seek out opportunities to inform themselves, to work with others to advocate their beliefs in the public sphere, and to be active participants in democracy through acts like voting or writing letters to elected officials. By contrast, individuals who perceive that they have no control over political outcomes are more likely to be alienated, detached, uninterested, and uninvolved. Thus, by providing a better understanding of POC and how we might encourage it in citizens, this project aims to provide a basis for designing curricula, volunteerism projects, and other interventions designed to foster civic engagement and good citizenship practices.
With support from the National Science Foundation, we were able forward research that will contribute to the discipline’s understanding of the psychological mechanisms that lead individuals to believe that they matter in the political world. This research will both improve the scientific understanding of the origins of political participation, but may also provide a basis for designing curricula, volunteerism projects, and other interventions designed to foster civic engagement. The perception of control is a feeling or belief that individuals have about how much they can control some aspect of the world. In this project, we tested the hypothesis that an individual’s level of perceived control over the political world (e.g., election outcomes and government policy) is a critical factor in determining his or her level of civic engagement and political participation. As planned, we conducted two surveys. The first survey was of a large convenience sample of undergraduates. The second was a two-wave panel of a representative sample of Americans conducted through the Cooperative Congressional Elections Survey in the fall of 2010. In both surveys, we were able to include and test multiple questions designed to measure respondents’ perceived control over political outcomes. In addition, the surveys allowed us to test several implications of the perceptions of control theory. For instance, we showed that individuals who engaged in political activity in support of a winning candidate were more likely to have an increased sense that they can affect the political world. A paper reporting preliminary results from both of these surveys was presented at the 2011 annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association. Looking forward, these results will serve as the basis for continuing research into methods to promote civic participation and political engagement. In particular, a series of experimental studies are planned over the next twelve months that will, using the measurement scales developed in our surveys, explore different ways that educators and civic leaders can foster perceived control amongst students and citizens. Finally, the funding was used to initiate a parallel research project on methods for using online computerized-adaptive testing techniques to more quickly measure difficult-to-measure concepts, like perceived control, in online surveys. To do this, we built a web-interface for administering adaptive surveys and are currently preparing a field test in January of 2012.
