Political Socialization
Political socialization is a lifelong process by which people form their ideas about politics and
acquire political values. The family, educational system, peer groups, and the mass media all
play a role. While family and school are important early in life, what our peers think and what
we read in the newspaper and see on television have more influence on our political attitudes as
adults.
Family
Our first political ideas are shaped within the family. Parents seldom "talk politics" with
their young children directly, but casual remarks made around the dinner table or while
helping with homework can have an impact. Family tradition is particularly a factor in
party identification, as indicated by the phrases lifelong Republican and lifelong
Democrat. The family may be losing its power as an agent of socialization, however, as
institutions take over more of child care and parents perform less of it.
Schools
Children are introduced to elections and voting when they choose class officers, and the
more sophisticated elections in high school and college teach the rudiments of
campaigning. Political facts are learned through courses in American history and
government, and schools, at their best, encourage students to critically examine
government institutions. Schools themselves are involved in politics; issues such as
curriculum reform, funding, and government support for private schools often spark a
debate that involves students, teachers, parents, and the larger community.
Peer groups
Although peer pressure certainly affects teenagers' lifestyles, it is less evident in
developing their political values. Exceptions are issues that directly affect them, such as
the Vietnam War during the 1960s. Later, if peers are defined in terms of occupation,
then the group does exert an influence on how its members think politically. For
example, professionals such as teachers or bankers often have similar political
opinions, particularly on matters related to their careers.
Mass media
Much of our political information comes from the mass media: newspapers, magazines,
radio, television, and the Internet. The amount of time the average American family
watches TV makes it the dominant information source, particularly with the expansion of
24-hour all-news cable channels. Not only does television help shape public opinion by
providing news and analysis, but its entertainment programming addresses important
contemporary issues that are in the political arena, such as drug use, abortion, and
crime. The growth of the Internet is also significant; not only do essentially all-news
outlets have their own Web sites, but online bloggers present a broad range of political
opinion, information, and analysis.
Political socialization is the "process by which individuals learn and
frequently internalize a political lens framing their perceptions of how power is arranged and how the
world around them is (and should be) organized; those perceptions, in turn, shape and define
individuals' definitions of who they are and how they should behave in the political and economic
institutions in which they live."[1] Political socialization also encompasses the way in which people
acquire values and opinions that shape their political stance and ideology: it is a "study of the
developmental processes by which people of all ages and adolescents acquire political cognition,
attitudes, and behaviors."[2] It refers to a learning process by which norms and behaviors acceptable
to a well running political system are transmitted from one generation to another. It is through the
performance of this function that individuals are inducted into the political culture and their
orientations towards political objects are formed.[3] Schools, media, and the state have a major
influence in this process
Agents[edit]
1. Family: Families perpetuate values that support political authorities and can heavily
contribute to children's initial political ideological views, or party affiliations.[4] Families have
an effect on "political knowledge, identification, efficacy, and participation", depending on
variables such as "family demographics, life cycle, parenting style, parental level of political
cynicism and frequency of political discussions."[5]
2. Schools: Spending numerous years in school, children in the United States are taught and
reinforced a view of the world that "privileges capitalism and ownership, competitive
individualism, and democracy."[1]Through primary, secondary and high schools, students are
taught key principles such as individual rights and property, personal responsibility and duty
to their nation.
3. Media: Mass media is not only a source of political information; it is an influence on political
values and beliefs. Various media outlets, through news coverage and late-night programs,
provide different partisan policy stances that are associated with political participation.[5]
4. Religion: Religions beliefs and practices play a role in political opinion formation and political
participation. The theological and moral perspectives offered by religious institutions shape
judgement regarding public policy, and ultimately, translates to direct "political decision
making on governmental matters such as the redistribution of wealth, equality, tolerance for
deviance and the limits on individual freedom, the severity of criminal punishment, policies
relating to family structure, gender roles, and the value of human life."[6]
5. Political parties: Scholars such as Campbell (1960) note that political parties have very little
direct influence on a child due to a contrast of social factors such as age, context, power,
etc.[7]
6. The state: The state is a key source of information for media outlets, and has the ability to
"inform, misinform, or disinform the press and thus the public", a strategy which may be
referred to as propaganda, in order to serve a political or economic agenda
