Networks of Mobilisation: Awareness, Engagement and Turnout

An enduring issue in the study of political participation is the extent to which political awareness and engagement are socially or individually motivated. We address these issues in the context of a municipal election which generated a high level of political engagement on the part of college students for whom the election was particularly relevant. An effort was made to interview all these students using an on-line survey, and the students were asked to provide information on their friendship networks. These data collection procedures make it possible, in turn, to locate individual behavior within extensively defined networks of communication. The paper demonstrates that awareness and engagement are not simply a consequence of individually defined interests, but rather that individuals are informed and engaged based on their locations within structured networks of social interaction.