Honors Program Theses

Award/Availability

Open Access Honors Program Thesis

First Advisor

Heather Kennedy, Honors Thesis Advisor

Keywords

Sexual minorities--Political activity--United States; College students--Political activity--United States; Voting--United States;

Abstract

Citizens of the United States are regularly reminded of the importance of voting in elections. However, data shows the youngest voters turnout at the polls in far fewer numbers than older generations. The same cannot be said for marginalized and minority groups, such as members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) community. Past studies have shown that these individuals are more likely to vote than their peers who are not members of this community. While there is information about voting habits of both the youngest voters and LGBTQ citizens, there has been little research done about the intersection of these groups. This study aimed to determine if LGBTQ college students voted more frequently than their Non-LGBTQ peers, as well as if they believed voting to be more important. Responses of an online survey were analyzed to determine if any differences exist between responses of these two distinct groups. The results, while similar, suggest that LGBTQ college students may vote more frequently than their Non-LGBTQ peers in elections that are not held at the local level, and believe it to be more important.

Keywords: LGBTQ, college students, voter turnout, elections, voting importance

Year of Submission

2021

Department

School of Applied Human Sciences

University Honors Designation

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the designation University Honors

Date Original

5-2021

Object Description

1 PDF file (45 pages)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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