A Pilot Study of Political Experiences and Barriers to Voting Among Autistic Adults Participating in Online Survey Research in the United States

Background: Political participation is an important and meaningful aspect of civic engagement for adults. Existing research suggests that disabled people face barriers to political engagement. However, very little is known regarding how Autistic adults engage in politics in the United States.Methods: Participants included 276 self-consenting Autistic adults (including those with a diagnosis and self-identified) and 361 non-autistic adults. Participants completed an online survey regarding political attitudes, barriers to voting, engagement methods, and affective experiences between December 2020 and January 2021.Results: The majority of self-consenting Autistic adults in this online sample were registered to vote and identified themselves as part of the Democratic party and as very liberal. On average, Autistic adults most strongly supported policies surrounding disability rights and education. Overall, Autistic adults experienced greater barriers to voting than non-autistic adults. When adjusting for demographic differences across groups, the strongest group differences were that Autistic adults reported greater barriers to voting due to mental health difficulties, fear of crowds, and fear of leaving the house. Autistic adults engaged in politics more through social media outlets and through signing petitions relative to non-autistic adults, but reported engaging less through watching political debates, watching the news, and reading about politics in print newspapers, although effects were not maintained after adjusting for demographic differences. When asked about the current political climate, Autistic adults reported higher negative emotions (feeling upset, nervous, and afraid) than non-autistic adults. Demographic factors (age, gender, and income) related to political experiences.Conclusion: Results of this study suggest self-consenting Autistic adults face significant barriers to voting and have unique experiences related to political participation. Future research to improve and support political participation among Autistic adults is a critical research priority. Community brief Why is this an important issue? Disabled people experience many barriers to voting. Specifically, we do not know much about the experiences of Autistic adults when voting. Therefore, we need to know how Autistic adults participate in politics in the United States, to help Autistic adults to engage in politics how they want to. What was the purpose of this study? The purpose of this study was to describe how Autistic adults participate in politics, including their voting history, political viewpoints, and what policies they care most about. The researchers also looked at whether Autistic adults differed from non-autistic adults in barriers to voting, how they participate in politics, and how they feel when thinking about politics. What did the researchers do? The researchers had both Autistic and non-autistic adults complete an online survey. What were the results of the study? Most Autistic adults were registered to vote and said they identified as part of the Democratic party and as very liberal. Autistic adults said they experience greater barriers to voting compared with non-autistic adults. They also reported engaging more in politics on social media and through signing petitions, but said they watched debates, watched the news, and read newspapers less often than non-autistic adults. Autistic adults had more negative feelings (feeling upset, nervous, and afraid) toward current politics than non-autistic adults. We also found that Autistic adults in this study differed from non-autistic adults on some demographic characteristics, such as age, gender, race or ethnicity, and income. When we accounted for these differences across groups, Autistic adults still had greater barriers to voting and more negative feelings about politics. However, Autistic adults did not report engaging in politics differently from non-autistic adults anymore. Demographic factors also were connected to these political experiences, meaning that a person's age, gender, and income may be related to the voting barriers they face, their methods of participation, and their feelings about politics. What do these findings add to what was already known? These findings provide information about how Autistic adults experience and participate in politics. Similar to previous research on disabled populations, these findings suggest that Autistic adults face more barriers to voting and feel more negative emotions relating to politics than non-autistic adults. They also may engage in politics in different ways from non-autistic adults. What are potential weaknesses in the study? This study only used an online survey to collect information, so results may not apply to all Autistic people. How will these findings help Autistic adults now or in the future? These findings help Autistic adults by highlighting their unique experiences, along with drawing attention to major barriers to voting. Learning more about Autistic adult experiences may help inform political outreach efforts and help make sure all voices are heard in the democratic process.