Doctoral Dissertation Research in Political Science

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Political participation has long been a topic of interest to students of political behavior. While it is through citizen involvement in government that political leaders are held accountable for their behavior, few Americans are politically active. Although participation has been investigated widely, one aspect of participation, individuals' beliefs about their role as American citizens, has been neglected. This doctoral dissertation research has as its focus an investigation of how individuals conceptualize their citizen roles. The research will also examine individuals' explanations of their own and others' participatory behavior. These explanations, along with the citizen conceptualizations, are expected to provide key insights into how the American political system functions. Two research methods will be employed to investigate the topic. First, Q-methodology, a sorting and prioritizing technique, will be used to uncover the perspectives individuals have about the role of citizens in a democracy. Drawing on these findings, a survey questionnaire will be developed and administered in the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, area. It is expected that the combination of these two methodologies will expand our understanding of citizen perceptions of political participation.