CIRCLE in Action

We're focused on the connections between research and practice: on making sure that our work helps to clarify practical questions for educators, communities, and policymakers and has an impact on more equitable youth opportunity and engagement. We strive to ensure that our research is timely and relevant to a broad range of audiences, and we work with local and national partners on numerous campaigns and initiatives to strengthen various aspects of youth civic education and engagement. We believe collaboration is necessary for substantive change to occur and that research informed by the experiences and knowledge of youth and practitioners is most practical.

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Updates and Announcements

Young People and the Media

Young people's relationship with traditional and social media shapes their civic and political engagement. Through our Rep Us Project and other research and initiatives, we're highlighting how youth consume and create media to participate in democracy.

CIRCLE Welcomes New Tisch College Dean

We're excited to begin working with Dayna Cunningham, who has begun her term as Dean of CIRCLE's home: the Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University. We look forward to learning with and from this experienced civic leader!

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Want to make sure you don't miss the latest research, news, and events from CIRCLE? Join our email list to receive a monthly bulletin with new data and insights about youth civic education and engagement, and to learn about opportunities to connect with our work.

Upcoming Events

Latest Research

What are we working on? Check out the most recent CIRCLE data and analysis on youth participation in civic life.

2020 Youth Voter Turnout by Race/Ethnicity and Gender

White youth continue to vote at higher rates, but youth of color are closing the gap.

Teen Vogue's #TeenVote2020 Brought Diverse Voices to Election Coverage

This is part of our Rep Us Practitioner Series, in which partners in this field share their experiences running or participating in programs in which young people's voices inform public conversations.

youth media creation

social media

media literacy

Existing Literature Supports Vital Role of Youth Media Creation

Studies show that engaging young people as co-creators can make news media more representative and relevant to the audiences it’s trying to reach.

Explore More Research

In the Media

There should be a vibrant, data-informed public conversation about youth civic education and engagement: what's working, what's not, and why it's important. Our research, which appears frequently in major media outlets, helps to drive that conversation.

Young Asian Americans a critical voting bloc in 2020, research shows

The Fulcrum

An analysis, released last week by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University, found that young Asian Americans had one of the largest increases in voter participation last year of any racial or ethnic group.

50 years after 26th Amendment, activists still working to engage young SC voters

The Post and Courier

Youth voter participation increased across the country in the 2020 election, according to an analysis by Tufts University’s Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement. But South Carolina was below the national average, with 45 percent of eligible 18- to 29-year-olds casting a ballot.

50th Anniversary of the 26th Amendment

Now This News

CIRCLE Deputy Director Abby Kiesa shared some reflections on the 50th anniversary of the voting age being lowered to 18—and the ongoing work to make elections equitable and accessible to the youngest eligible voters.

More CIRCLE Research in the News