SBP: The Arizona Youth Project: (Re)defining American Identity and National Belonging

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

How young adults define their social identities has implications for their economic advancement and political participation in our society. This project will investigate how U.S.-born minority and White young adults perceive their identity and status as Americans in the context of rapidly changing economic, demographic, and political conditions. This project will further our understanding of minority and majority integration into U.S. society—particularly among U.S.-born young adults. This research advances the health and welfare of minority and White young adults by understanding how the socio-political local context affects their sense of national identity and belonging. This study will also identify ways to promote political participation in our democracy among young adults. The project is a multi-method qualitative study using two research strategies: in-depth interviews, and Photovoice. The sample will consist of U.S.-born young adults between the ages of 18-25 living in five sites in Arizona. We will recruit 60 participants in each of the five sites for a total of 300 participants. Participants will be interviewed twice: once before the 2020 elections and once after the 2020 elections. They will also be asked to participate in a Photovoice project by taking photographs reflecting what they define as American. Interview transcripts, photographs and fieldnotes will be downloaded to a qualitative data analysis software that supports continuous data inputting and analysis, and undergo a three-step coding process. Initial open coding will identify major themes, as well as locality, key political actors, and events. Further coding exercises will flesh out secondary themes and subthemes. A third level of analysis, triangulation, will integrate the data to form a coherent and complete explanation of the overarching research questions. Findings will inform sociological theories related to ethnic relations, political participation and the transition to adulthood. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.