College Students & The Supreme Court of the United States: A Longitudinal Study

• Brandon Cangialosi, Political Science, University of Delaware

• Jason Mycoff, Political Science and International Relations, University of Delaware

In recent times, the United States Supreme Court has experienced an upsurge in media attention accompanied by historic lows in approval ratings due to, amongst other things, contentious opinions and recent ethical scandals.  The goal of this project is to closely examine how this combination has affected college students’ perception and factual knowledge of the Court.  Given the longitudinal nature of the project, the study also aims to measure how these outcomes change over time while new opinions and events emerge.

This project facilitates an online survey deployed on three separate occasions (n1=135, n2=244, n3=not yet collected) and uses an availability sample of University of Delaware students.  The survey is employed in two different fashions: email listings and on-campus tabling with QR codes.  To increase participation levels, students are offered incentives such as a chance to win one of two $50 e-gift cards or, for those who take the survey through tabling, a cookie of their choice.  The preliminary wave focused on political science and international relations students while the second targeted a broader cross section of UD students; both, however, were generally representative of the student body regarding sex and ethnicity.

Within the survey, participants are prompted with various questions ranging from demographics, factual knowledge/awareness of the Court, approval of decisions and the Court in general, and desired changes individuals wish to see.  Questions are originally crafted but draw influence from previously published scholars’ work to ensure survey quality and validity.

The outcomes of this study are expected to contribute significantly to understanding the Court’s relationship with the college student population during an era of substantial change and can potentially offer invaluable insights for both the scientific and political fields.