A Window Into Youth and Family Policy: State Policymaker Views on Polarization and Research Utilization

• Published in: The American psychologist 2021-10, Vol.76 (7), p.1143-1158
• Main Authors: Bogenschneider, Karen, Day, Elizabeth, Bogenschneider, Bret N.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Administrative Personnel; Adolescent; Adolescent Development; Colleagues; Credibility; Criminal justice; Decision making; Family; Family Planning Policy; Family policy; Feasibility; Female; Government Policy Making; Health Policy; Human; Humans; Legislative Processes; Legislators; Male; Objectivity; Polarization; Policy analysis; Policy Making; Politicians; Research Personnel; Research transfer; Stakeholder; Trust; Youth
• ISSN: 0003-066X; 1935-990X
• DOI: 10.1037/amp0000681

Psychologists are known for using science to influence public policymaking on criminal justice, education, health, and other specific policies. Little is known, however, about what commonalities exist across youth and family policies and, in particular, how prevalent polarization and research utilization are in political decisions. In response, this article examines how youth and family policies are positioned on the decision-making agenda and who advances them from an overlooked point of view, that of state legislators. Semistructured qualitative interviews inquired about research use, partisan polarization, and strategies for effectively advancing youth/family policies with 123 legislators; 24 legislators nominated by colleagues as exemplar champions of youth and family issues; and 13 key informants. Policymakers report youth and families are a population deserving of support. This widely shared value premise makes some policies to support youth and families less partisan. In addition, policymakers report that research can sometimes be more important for youth and family issues, particularly evidence on economic feasibility. Despite the importance of research, policymakers express concerns about its objectivity, conflicting results, and source credibility. Compared with colleagues, Youth and Family Champions are committed to a higher purpose; knowledgeable on policy issues and political maneuvers; and skilled in listening, earning colleagues' trust, and building relationships with colleagues and external stakeholders. For connecting research and policy, the article suggests that researchers could attract the attention of policymakers by illustrating their studies with a compelling story that places a human face on the issue and portrays the pragmatic significance of the findings. Public Significance Statement This article looks for commonalities that cut across specific youth and family policies and finds empirical evidence that policymaking is not polarized on all issues. In particular, there are a pocket of youth and family policies where polarization is less prevalent and science can play a substantive role. Amidst the widespread defeatism expressed by many social scientists, the findings provide a reason for optimism by pointing to places where policymaking functions better and policies are more research-based.