That's why researchers were so surprised to find Fast Track, "designed to improve the future general well-being of [at-risk] children by developing their social skills," turned out to boost voting behavior. Writes journalist Lily Carollo:
By the time they reached adulthood, the kids that had received help in progressing their social skills were better off than those who hadn't. They were less likely to commit crimes or to be involved with risky sexual behavior, and they were more likely to be better educated and have better employment prospects, as well as have healthier relationships with their spouses and children.
Fast Track wasn't intended to have an impact on the kids' later likelihood to vote, and yet that's what emerged from the data: The kids who had been taught to develop their social skills tended to vote more often than their peers in the control group. Because Fast Track kept information about the children beyond the tenth grade, Holbein was able to match individuals with state voter files, and thus see how often they voted.
Study author John Holbein postulates two reasons for the 7.3% higher voter turnout of Fast Track young people versus the control group. Reason 1: Fast Track nurtured empathy. Reason 2: Fast Track taught self-control.
The study, and Fast Track, have major implications for program design and specific elements. Get the study; search for Childhood Skill Development and Adult Political Participation at Sci-Hub.
