She earned her PhD at Rutgers University, where she began work on a project that ultimately resulted in a co-authored book that examines generations and politics, titled A New Engagement? Political Participation, Civic Life, and the Changing American Citizen (Oxford University Press, 2006). The book challenges the idea that today’s youth are plagued by a severe case of political apathy. In addition to her research on youth and politics, Jenkins has studied gender and politics and is working on a book about mothers and daughters and their attitudes toward feminism and the women’s movement.