Mentor/s
Adrienne Crowell
Participation Type
Poster
Abstract
The current study was designed to predict the voting intentions and behaviors of college students in the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB; Ajzen,1985). TPB states that the intent to perform a behavior follows from attitudes towards the behavior, subjective norms, and perceived control in performing the behavior. Previous research has applied TPB to contexts such as health behaviors (e.g., physical activity, Motalebi, et al., 2014; condom use, Asare, 2015). The current study aims to apply TPB to intentions to vote in college students at a mid-sized private university. Participants will report through an online survey their perceived behavioral control in terms of their ability to vote, their attitudes towards the importance of voting, and the extent to which close others believe in the importance of voting. A follow up survey will be administered after the November 3, 2020 election to investigate actual voting behavior. The results will provide insights into the factors that predict voting intentions and behaviors in college-aged individuals which can be useful in designing interventions to improve voter participation among young people.
Keywords: Voting intentions, Theory of planned behavior, election
College and Major available
Psychology BS
Location
Digital Commons
Start Day/Time
5-5-2021 1:00 PM
End Day/Time
5-5-2021 4:00 PM
Prize Categories
Most Scholarly Impact or Potential, Best Visuals, Most Meaningful
The Theory of Planned Behavior Applied to Voting in the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election
Digital Commons
The current study was designed to predict the voting intentions and behaviors of college students in the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB; Ajzen,1985). TPB states that the intent to perform a behavior follows from attitudes towards the behavior, subjective norms, and perceived control in performing the behavior. Previous research has applied TPB to contexts such as health behaviors (e.g., physical activity, Motalebi, et al., 2014; condom use, Asare, 2015). The current study aims to apply TPB to intentions to vote in college students at a mid-sized private university. Participants will report through an online survey their perceived behavioral control in terms of their ability to vote, their attitudes towards the importance of voting, and the extent to which close others believe in the importance of voting. A follow up survey will be administered after the November 3, 2020 election to investigate actual voting behavior. The results will provide insights into the factors that predict voting intentions and behaviors in college-aged individuals which can be useful in designing interventions to improve voter participation among young people.
Keywords: Voting intentions, Theory of planned behavior, election
Students' Information
Richard Lenoci, Psychology major and Business minor, May 2021
Margaret Flaherty, Psychology major, Psychology major, May 2021