Homeowners in disadvantaged neighborhoods are more likely to vote than renters and those who own homes in more privileged communities, according to research to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association (ASA).

The decision to vote is partly genetic, according to a new study published in the American Political Science Review.

A study recently published in Social Science Quarterly explores the effects of religious behaviors and beliefs on political participation and finds that religious beliefs play a more significant role than church attendance or religious traditions in political participation.

A new Brown University study reports that U.S. states that require voters to present identification before casting ballots have lower levels of political participation.

The rich don't get richer - at least not in laboratory games. According to a new study of behavioral economics, published in the April 12, 2007 issue of Nature, people will spend their own money to make the rich less rich and the poor less poor. They do so without any hope of personal gain, acting, it seems, out of a taste for equality and sense of fair play.

In the first scholarly research examining the role of black bloggers in the blogosphere, Brown University researcher Antoinette Pole assessed how bloggers of color use their medium for purposes related to politics. She found that black bloggers are, in fact, mobilizing readers to engage in political participation. Additionally, Pole found that black bloggers do not feel discriminated against or excluded by other bloggers.