Disagreement Without Deterrence: The Importance of the Setting for the Study of Political Disagreement and Participation of Youth

In today’s polarized and often uncivil political environment, how does political disagreement influence the political participation of youth? In this article, we compare the relationship between political disagreement and the political behavior of youth in online and face-to-face settings. Using a unique sample of U.S. youth age 15 to 25 (N = 1,112), we find that exposure to disagreement, especially online, has a positive relationship with traditional and online forms of political participation. In addition, we find that engaging in disagreement online predicts higher levels of online participation. These findings suggest that engaging with political disagreement in the online setting may provide a way for youth to grapple with complex issues in a manner that leads to higher levels of political engagement overall