Young people who are involved in political activism become more involved in society throughout their lives, with higher rates of voting and volunteering as adults, says psychology professor and researcher James Youniss.

He told several hundred students at Wilfrid Laurier University about a study of people who were activists in the politically turbulent 1960s in the United States. As they moved into middle age, these activists remained more involved in community organizations than the average.

And an astonishing 93 per cent of them voted, said Youniss, who teaches at Catholic University of America in Washington D.C.

"Activism or political involvement in one's youth can have a long-term impact on who you are in terms of your civic behaviour," Youniss told his Waterloo audience, mostly psychology students and their professors.

He said political activity of any kind -- whether it is to save a school that might close or to join an environmental organization -- is beneficial, because it brings you in touch with a group of like-minded people who can pool resources and make change happen.

It also gives you access to an ideological perspective to help you understand the big picture, for example, why people are homeless and what the rest of us can do about it.

Being involved with a group also exposes you to public scrutiny of your views, which is part of a healthy democracy, Youniss said.

Even if you join a violent, negative organization, like a neo-Nazi group, it's better to do that than hold your views in isolation, he said.

Youniss said that if you have neo-Nazi views, it gives you something to think about if you decide to parade through the streets, only to find that "everybody throws eggs at you."

Sometimes, widespread public disagreement with your ideas helps you re-evaluate and become more moderate, Youniss said.

"Better to be in public with your ideas, than on your own in your room, smoking marijuana and imagining that you're God."