Physical Space and Democratic CItizenship: Third Place Usage and Civic Engagement Among Undergraduates

Authors

• Justin L. Fintel, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

First Advisor

Kevin Smith, Department of Political Science

Second Advisor

Elizabeth Theiss-Morse, Department of Political Science

Committee Members

Dr. Kevin Smith; Dr. Elizabeth Theiss-Morse

Date of this Version

Spring 4-4-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Citation

Fintel, Justin. Physical Space and Democratic Citizenship: Third Place Usage and Civic Engagement Among Undergraduates. Undergraduate thesis, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2026.

Comments

Undergraduate thesis, Department of Political Science, University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Investigates how undergraduate use of campus third places relates to civic engagement, using survey and regression analysis. Available in the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Digital Commons.

Abstract

This thesis examines the relationship between third place usage and civic engagement levels among undergraduate students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Drawing on urban planning and political science literature, I hypothesize that students who more frequently use and interact with campus third places—which are informal communal spaces that foster community, such as coffee shops, libraries, and student unions—demonstrate higher levels of civic engagement. Using survey data from thirty-eight undergraduates and ordinary least squares regression analysis, I find strong support for my hypothesis. Third place usage significantly predicts civic engagement (β = 0.609, p < 0.001) statistically, and this relationship remains robust even after controlling for family socialization and socioeconomic status. The findings suggest that physical spaces on college campuses play an independent role in promoting democratic citizenship beyond students' pre-existing characteristics. These results have important implications for university and urban planning, while highlighting the value of investing in communal campus spaces as mechanisms for promoting civic participation.