The Role of Political Engagement in College Students’ Civic Identity: Longitudinal Findings From Recent Graduates

This is the second phase of a larger longitudinal research project that explores the development of civic identity (Johnson, 2017). We examined the political dimensions of recent college graduates’ civic identities to better understand how they view, construct, and act on the inherent political dimensions of their civic identities. Using semi-structured interviews, we followed up with 18 of the 19 participants from the original study one year after they graduated. The concepts of identity development, humans as political animals, and ideology guided our study. Findings show that recent graduates had a negative view of politics and struggled with how to advance their civic identities within a turbulent political environment and within careers that often left them feeling constrained or unable to do so.