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Data-driven insights on civic engagement from The University of Texas at Austin
The research program at the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life focuses on understanding patterns of civic and electoral participation across demographic groups. Our work combines rigorous quantitative analysis with accessible communication to inform policy and practice in the field of civic engagement.
We believe that transparent, reproducible research is essential for understanding and addressing barriers to democratic participation. Our projects examine voter registration, turnout, and representation using large-scale datasets including the Current Population Survey, Cooperative Election Study, and administrative election records.
This website serves as a hub for our "nerdy" research outputs—the datasets, code, methodologies, and technical documentation that support our public-facing work. While the main ASI website features polished research briefs and program information, this site provides the behind-the-scenes resources for researchers, students, and practitioners interested in diving deeper into our data and methods.
Analyzing demographic disparities in voter registration and turnout to understand representation gaps in electoral participation.
Examining state voting policies and their effects on registration barriers, turnout costs, and electoral participation across populations.
Developing robust data processing pipelines, measurement tools, and analytical approaches for civic engagement research.
Research Lead
Dr. Eugenia Quintanilla is the Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life. She studies how aspects of our psychology—such as group identity, prosociality, and perceptions of stratification—shape political engagement in the United States. Her areas of expertise include survey experiments and measurements, race and ethnic politics, and public opinion. She received her PhD in Political Science from the University of Michigan in American Politics and her BA in Psychology and Political Science from New College of Florida.
The Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life educates, inspires, and connects the next generation of Texas civic leaders.
The Moody College of Communication houses the Annette Strauss Institute and supports civic engagement research.
We welcome collaboration with researchers, students, civic organizations, and policymakers interested in civic engagement research. Whether you're looking to use our data, replicate our analyses, or explore partnership opportunities, we'd love to hear from you.
Our research relies on data from multiple sources. We gratefully acknowledge: