Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-1-2025

Publication Title

Electoral Studies

Volume

98

Pages

1-61

Publisher Name

Elsevier

Abstract

Have turnout rates in the U.S. risen as more Americans have attained college degrees? Educational attainment is associated with a higher likelihood of voting among individuals, but scholars remain skeptical that increases in mass education levels are associated with higher turnout in populations. I argue that higher rates of college degree attainment not only raise turnout rates among graduates themselves but have positive externalities for turnout in graduates’ communities. To test the relationship at the aggregate level in the U.S., I turn to data from the 50 states and the District of Columbia from 1980 to 2020, when college education rates rose nationwide but at varying rates by state. Under several modeling strategies, I find voter turnout increased most in states where college-educated populations grew most quickly, while turnout held steady in states where educational gains were more modest. Replicating the main findings using county-level data over the same period yields similar conclusions. The results have important implications for studying mass turnout and for efforts to increase participation in the U.S.

Comments

Author Posting © the authors, 2025. This is the author’s version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Electoral Studies, Vol. 98 (Dec 1, 2025), 10.1016/j.electstud.2025.103002

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