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This is a qualitative chapter from my mixed-methods dissertation on civic engagement and higher education. I analyze how college experience and social networks affect levels of civic engagement amongst college students and college dropouts to assess the extent to which the social networks developed within the college environment are effective conduits for the transmission of politically relevant social capital, civic norms, and civic values.

Using data from the 2012 American National Election Studies (ANES), I assess the impact of authoritarianism on the likelihood to vote for Senate, House and presidential incumbents amongst White and Black Americans. I find that the influence of authoritarianism on the vote for incumbents depends on the race of the voter and the party identification of the incumbent. This suggests that risk-averse voting behavior amongst authoritarians is a function of party affiliation in addition to perceived threat, and heavily qualified by race.