CIRCLE (Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement)

CIRCLE (Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement)
Name	CIRCLE (Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement)
Formation	2001
Type	Research center
Location	Medford, Massachusetts
Affiliation	Tufts University
Fields	Civic participation, youth engagement

CIRCLE (Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement) is a research center based at Tufts University that studies youth civic engagement, voting behavior, and public participation among young people in the United States. Founded in 2001, it produces empirical analyses, policy briefs, and datasets used by scholars, policymakers, and advocacy organizations across the United States and internationally. CIRCLE's work intersects with public institutions, nonprofit organizations, election authorities, and academic researchers to inform debates on participation, policy, and practice.

History

CIRCLE was established in 2001 at Tufts University with funding and support from philanthropic organizations and research initiatives tied to civic participation and democratic renewal, including collaborations with The Pew Charitable Trusts, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Ford Foundation, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and Rockefeller Foundation. Early work drew on data from national surveys and projects linked to U.S. Census Bureau, Election Assistance Commission, Pew Research Center, National Center for Education Statistics, and collaborations with researchers at Harvard University, University of Michigan, Stanford University, and Yale University. Over time, CIRCLE expanded partnerships to include state election officials such as those in California Secretary of State offices, nonprofit networks like Brennan Center for Justice, Common Cause, Rock the Vote, and international organizations including UNICEF and International IDEA.

Mission and Research Focus

CIRCLE’s mission emphasizes empirical study of youth participation, public policy implications, and evidence-based recommendations for practitioners, aligning with agendas advanced by U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, National Conference on Citizenship, Bipartisan Policy Center, and scholars linked to American Political Science Association. Research focuses include youth voting behavior assessed against datasets from Current Population Survey, American National Election Studies, Cooperative Congressional Election Study, and the Pew Research Center, as well as non-electoral participation such as volunteering tracked with partners like Corporation for National and Community Service and United Nations Youth. The center examines variables such as age, race, socioeconomic status, and geography, situating findings in debates influenced by literature from Robert Putnam, Seymour Martin Lipset, Alexis de Tocqueville, and contemporary analysts at Brookings Institution and Urban Institute.

Major Projects and Publications

CIRCLE has produced major projects and publications including national reports on youth turnout, state-level analyses of registration policies, and methodological work on measuring civic engagement similar in scope to studies by Pew Research Center, Pew Charitable Trusts, and Pew Hispanic Center. Notable outputs include reports comparing youth turnout in presidential elections, white papers on pre-registration and same-day registration tied to policy changes in states like California, Oregon, and Wisconsin, and research briefs used by organizations such as Rock the Vote, All Voting is Local, and League of Women Voters. CIRCLE datasets and briefs have been cited alongside research from American Enterprise Institute, Heritage Foundation, Center for American Progress, and academic journals like American Political Science Review and Journal of Politics. The center's methodological contributions include survey instruments and coding frameworks referenced in work by researchers at Columbia University, Princeton University, University of California, Berkeley, and Northwestern University.

Impact and Influence

CIRCLE’s analyses have informed electoral policy debates at federal and state levels, influencing discussions involving United States Congress, state legislatures such as those in Florida, Texas, and Pennsylvania, and administrative practices of agencies like the Federal Election Commission and Election Assistance Commission. Its reports have been used by advocacy coalitions including ACLU, Brennan Center for Justice, Campaign Legal Center, and civic groups like National Voter Registration Day organizers and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee-linked networks. Academic citations of CIRCLE work appear alongside scholarship from Diana Mutz, Theda Skocpol, Robert Putnam, and policy analyses by Brookings Institution and Urban Institute, demonstrating cross-sector influence on both scholarship and practice.

Organizational Structure and Funding

CIRCLE operates within the administrative framework of Tufts University with a director, research staff, data analysts, and graduate student affiliates drawn from departments such as Department of Political Science, Tufts University and interdisciplinary centers allied with Jonathan Tisch College of Civic Life. Funding historically has come from foundations and grants including Carnegie Corporation of New York, Ford Foundation, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts, and government grants administered through entities like the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health for related methodological work. Governance and oversight involve university review boards and compliance with standards adopted by professional societies such as American Association for Public Opinion Research.

Partnerships and Collaborations

CIRCLE maintains collaborations with academic institutions including Harvard Kennedy School, Princeton University, Yale University, and University of Michigan; nonprofit organizations such as Rock the Vote, League of Women Voters, and Brennan Center for Justice; governmental agencies including Election Assistance Commission and state secretaries of state offices; and international partners like UNICEF and International IDEA. These partnerships support data collection, program evaluation, training workshops, and dissemination of findings to stakeholders such as educators in K-12 education systems, community organizers, and election administrators.

Category:Research institutes in the United States Category:Tufts University