The massacre generation: Young people and attitudes about mass shooting prevention
Vegter, Abigail Middlewood, Alexandra T.
Vegter, Abigail
Middlewood, Alexandra T.
Citations
Altmetric:
Other Names
Location
Time Period
Advisors
Original Date
Digitization Date
Issue Date
2022-05-12
Type
Article
Genre
Keywords
Subjects (LCSH)
Citation
Vegter, Abigail, and Middlewood, Alexandra T.. 2022. “The massacre generation: Young people and attitudes about mass shooting prevention.“ Social Science Quarterly 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1111/ssqu.13148
Abstract
Objective: We propose that citizens navigate an increasingly complex social and political world using a “cultural toolkit” shaped by firearms and gun violence. Young people in particular have experienced more mass shootings than any previous generation and have witnessed a lack of government response to these massacres. This article explores the attitudes that members of the Massacre Generation express about mass shooting prevention. Methods: We analyze data from several public opinion surveys conducted following major mass shootings in the United States using ordinary least squares and logistic regression. These surveys were fielded and sponsored by a variety of organizations and asked a nearly identical question about whether mass shootings can be prevented by societal and governmental action. Results: We find that the Massacre Generation is indeed more likely to think the government can prevent mass shootings by implementing stricter gun control laws. We find evidence of these attitudes in multiple public opinion surveys from 2012 to2018. Furthermore, we find no age effect in multiple surveys conducted between 1999 and 2011, suggesting that these attitudes are a relatively new phenomenon. Conclusion: Young people today express that government regulation (i.e., stricter gun laws) can prevent gun violence, placing them at odds with older generations. We discuss the implications of our findings for gun policy development and the future of the gun debate.
Table of Contents
Description
Click on the DOI to access this article (may not be free).
Publisher
John Wiley and Sons Inc
Journal
Book Title
Series
Social Science Quarterly
2022
2022
Digital Collection
Finding Aid URL
Use and Reproduction
Archival Collection
American politics
Gun politics
Policy attitudes
Public opinion
Gun politics
Policy attitudes
Public opinion
PubMed ID
DOI
ISSN
0038-4941