SBP: The Arizona Youth Project: (Re)defining American Identity and National Belonging

年轻人如何定义他们的社会身份，对他们在我们社会中的经济进步和政治参与都有影响。该项目将调查在美国出生的少数民族和白人年轻人如何在快速变化的经济、人口和政治条件下感知他们作为美国人的身份和地位。这个项目将加深我们对少数族裔和多数族裔融入美国社会的理解--特别是在美国出生的年轻人中。这项研究通过了解当地的社会政治环境如何影响他们的国家认同感和归属感，促进了少数族裔和白人青年的健康和福利。这项研究还将确定在年轻人中促进民主政治参与的方法。该项目是一项多方法的定性研究，使用了两种研究策略：深度访谈和照片语音。样本将包括18-25岁的美国出生的年轻人，他们生活在亚利桑那州的五个地点。我们将在五个地点每个地点招募60名参与者，总人数为300人。参与者将接受两次采访：一次是在2020年选举之前，一次是在2020年选举之后。他们还将被要求参加一个PhotoVoice项目，拍摄反映他们定义的美国人的照片。访谈记录、照片和实地笔记将下载到支持连续数据输入和分析的定性数据分析软件中，并经过三个步骤的编码过程。最初的开放编码将确定主要主题，以及地点、关键政治参与者和事件。进一步的编码练习将充实次要主题和副主题。第三个层次的分析，即三角测量，将整合数据，以形成对主要研究问题的连贯和完整的解释。调查结果将为有关种族关系、政治参与和成年过渡的社会学理论提供参考。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

How young adults define their social identities has implications for their economic advancement and political participation in our society. This project will investigate how U.S.-born minority and White young adults perceive their identity and status as Americans in the context of rapidly changing economic, demographic, and political conditions. This project will further our understanding of minority and majority integration into U.S. society—particularly among U.S.-born young adults. This research advances the health and welfare of minority and White young adults by understanding how the socio-political local context affects their sense of national identity and belonging. This study will also identify ways to promote political participation in our democracy among young adults. The project is a multi-method qualitative study using two research strategies: in-depth interviews, and Photovoice. The sample will consist of U.S.-born young adults between the ages of 18-25 living in five sites in Arizona. We will recruit 60 participants in each of the five sites for a total of 300 participants. Participants will be interviewed twice: once before the 2020 elections and once after the 2020 elections. They will also be asked to participate in a Photovoice project by taking photographs reflecting what they define as American. Interview transcripts, photographs and fieldnotes will be downloaded to a qualitative data analysis software that supports continuous data inputting and analysis, and undergo a three-step coding process. Initial open coding will identify major themes, as well as locality, key political actors, and events. Further coding exercises will flesh out secondary themes and subthemes. A third level of analysis, triangulation, will integrate the data to form a coherent and complete explanation of the overarching research questions. Findings will inform sociological theories related to ethnic relations, political participation and the transition to adulthood.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.