The Cumulative Effects of Experience on Political Participation.

Scholars know that a 'participation gap' exists between younger and older citizens, but what about age causes such a strong influence on political participation? This paper examines that question in greater detail. Life-cycle explanations provide, to date, the most satisfying accounts for the differences: life events shape and change behavior. Prior studies, however, have treated life-cycle variables as singular influences on behavior and have not examined how they interact together. This study takes life-cycle explanations as a starting point but expands upon it, using an index of life events to extend the life-cycle argument and refine our understanding of why age affects political participation. Instead of modeling life-cycle variables as individual influences on behavior, this study argues that as the experiences of life-cycle events accumulate, behavior, in particular participation, should change. As an individual experiences more life-cycle events, the likelihood that person will vote should be greater than an individual who has experienced fewer life events. The index is tested in multiple logistic models with the intent of showing that cumulative life experiences affect participation both within and across age groups. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]