Parent values, civic participation, and children’s volunteering

While numerous studies have examined civic engagement among adolescents and adults, there is limited research on civic engagement in preadolescent populations. The current study aimed to address this gap in the literature by examining the child dispositions and family processes related to children’s civic participation. Specifically, this study explored the degree to which children’s civic dispositions (i.e., social responsibility, civic values) and parents’ civic engagement (i.e., humanitarian-egalitarian values, civic participation) were associated with children’s volunteering. Survey data were collected from 359 ethnically and economically diverse 4th-6th grade students (M age = 10.56) and their parents. Results from logistic regressions showed that children with a greater sense of community responsibility were more likely to volunteer. Additionally, parents who more strongly endorsed humanitarian-egalitarian values and those with greater civic participation were more likely to have children who volunteered, even after controlling for child and family background variables. Findings suggest that parent values and civic participation, and children’s own beliefs about social responsibility contribute to children’s civic participation. Practical implications are discussed.