Does Studying Political Science Make Any Difference?

This study examines the effect of majoring in political science on students' political knowledge, attitudes, and participation. Survey research was carried out in 1979 and 1982, which compared a cohort of full-time undergraduates in their freshmen and senior years, controlling for political science as an independent variable. The findings suggest that the study of political science clearly increases political cognition and possibly political efficacy and liberalism. Although increases in political participation exist, they were not directly attributable to the major. Finally, there was little evidence to support the “self-selection” hypothesis, which argues that political science does not make people more politically aware but rather that those more politically aware major in political science.