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Alexander Berger

POL 1001
Political Socialization Essay
Political socialization is defined as "the process through which individuals in a
society acquire political attitudes, views, and knowledge" (Edwards 174). A very large
amount of America's learning and understanding of politics is informal. Instead of
learning everything in a classroom, Americans learn from the people and establishments
around them. Certain factors influence political socialization in America more than
others. The most influential factors of political socialization are family and their views,
the school system, and the mass media creating a large impact on government and
politics.
Families are extremely influential factors of political socialization as they are the
group of people that a person is closest to and spends the most time with. "The family's
central role in forming the individual's political personality derives from its role as the
main source and locus for the satisfaction of all his basic, innate needs" (Davies 10). The
timing of the influence of a family is also important to note, as they are most influential
when a person is in their youth and open to new political ideas. Youth become attached
to their families from the start because of the basic needs that the parents supply. "There
are at least four basic needs that appear to be innate and therefore common to all human
beings-the physical needs for food, clothing, shelter, health, and safety from bodily harm"
(Davies 11) The magnitude of time that these needs are provided for is important to note
as well: "during the longest maturation process required by any species- [the ways in
which needs are met] expose the human organism to a range and intensity of conditioning
that are unique" (Davies 11).

While many Americans like to identify themselves as independent and formers of


their own positions on politics, many people's political views can be traced back to their
parents. Survey information showed that of the youth demographic interviewed, all of
the participants shared political views or combination of views with their parents. The
first interviewee identified themselves as a strong liberal and when asked about their
parents' political beliefs, they stated that their parents are also both liberals. The same
cases reappeared in another interview, with the only change being conservative views
instead of liberal. Partisanship of parents and children typically correlated at about [60%
of the time] in a 1972 study (Niemi and Sobieszek 217).
The parents' influence begins at a young age, when youth are most accepting of
new ideas. "Significantly, very young children still show rather high rates of approval
and admiration for authority in most studies. But negative evaluations sometimes begin
fairly early and quickly accumulate, so that even by the fourth or fifth grade there are as
many negative as positive responses about a given political leader" (Niemi and Sobieszek
213). Some researchers have made the argument that genetics play a role in political
socialization. Researchers studied the political beliefs of identical and non-identical
twins. Studies showed that there was a much higher correlation between identical twins,
making a substantial argument that genetics does indeed play a role in political
socialization.
After examining the familial influence on one's political socialization, it became
apparent that family was not the only influential presence during a person's youth. In
other interviews conducted, it became evident that not just schooling is influential, but
also the type of schooling (public or religiously-affiliated). In multiple interviews, the

interviewees went to Catholic schools and all said that they believed this made a unique
impact when compared to if they had gone to public school. One interviewee stated: "My
religious upbringing has influenced my political views in that I follow the Bible as a
guide in many of my political beliefs." Examples of this in the world today may be
someone's stance on same-gender marriage; someone who is a devout Christian would be
less likely to be in agreement with it than someone who is not.
It is important to note which levels of schooling yield the largest impact of
political socialization. "Elementary schools are not crucial in developing or changing
children's political viewpoints" (Niemi and Sobieszek 221). However, elementary school
is the time when changes in a child's overall view on the world begins to emerge.
"Idealization, if it exists, will decline during these years. By the end of elementary
school, institutionalization will take place because of the developing cognitive awareness
of young people (Niemi and Sobieszek 221). "High school is a crucial time for the
development of political attitudes, since young people by this time have the cognitive
capacity to deal with political ideas" (Niemi and Sobieszek 221). Schooling is not only a
time when students are exposed to teachers, but it is also when they are exposed to other
students and their ideas. When surveyed, those of the youth demographic agreed that
their peers do indeed have an influence on their political socialization.
College is the most influential stage of education when talking about political
socialization. There are two main reasons as to why it is the most influential. "First, by
this time young people have attained adulthood and can for the first time begin directly
applying some of what they are learning about politics" (Niemi and Sobieszek 222). The
young adults have finally been granted the right to vote and can actually actively

participate in politics. "The second difference is that most college students live away
from home and are therefore removed for the first time from direct and constant parental
influence" (Niemi and Sobieszek 222). As a result of being separated, students have the
ability to break away from their family's political beliefs if they so choose. The new
environment around them creates a second "surge" in political socialization, following
the first which comes during youth and family life.
While family and schooling influences are more segmented and tend to be more
dominant at different stages in one's life, the mass media is influential from the day
someone is born to the day they die. The media surrounds every person in this country,
making it nearly impossible for it to not have an effect on a person's political
socialization. "Major changes in communication channels available to youth
have produced strength; there is an increase in the sheer numbers of channels
available to youth, such as underground newspapers, student television and radio
stations, and so on, and at the societal level there has been an absolute increase in
the quantity and kind of information carried through media with mass markets
oriented toward youths". (Niemi and Sobieszek 223). The more people are exposed to
media, the more likely it is to affect their political values. "With regard to the direct
effects of media, the results support the hypothesized positive relationship between
exposure to media and content and the development of political values" (Adoni 91).
According to the results of Adoni's research, the number one influence by media on
political values was the regular reading of newspapers (92). The content preferences of a
person also shapes their political values. The same study supported that the programs on
television or radio and the articles a person enjoys watching or reading influences their

decisions and viewpoints on the topic (92). It is impossible for there not to be bias in the
media outlets today, meaning that certain groups of people identify more with certain
outlets and may start to only look at one side of an issue if that is the only way it is being
presented. This can strengthen the viewpoints of a citizen, but can also cause them to be
narrow-minded. In analyzing selected interviews from different demographics
(adolescent, adult, elder), there was a direct correlation between the source of media they
used most and their politic views, backing up further that the bias in media does have a
distinct impact. In support of the fact that media is indeed an important factor in political
socialization, all interviewees ranked media first or second in the factors that they
believed have influenced them most.
In analyzing these three factors of political socialization, it is apparent that they
have an influence of great magnitude on government and politics in America. Political
socialization, while it is a life-long process, is mainly prevalent during one's youth
(specifically from ages 11 to 25). This makes political socialization at this time that
much more important as each generation of youth is the next generation of adults in
America. As noted in the first chapter of Government in America, the older citizens
control government as they have a much larger interest, knowledge, and level of
participation in politics. That said, even if the youth are not using the beliefs they have
developed at a young age until they are older, the values influenced by these factors are
what will guide their decision-making and how they decide to participate in politics later
in life.
Family and education provide a strong basis and starting point for how one's
political beliefs are grounded for the rest of their life. The media creates an ongoing

"fueling" of one's political socialization. How a certain issue is presented to someone


will influence the way they vote. When politics is a learned behavior, and most learning
is done in one's youth by means of education, media, and the people around them, it is
impossible to undermine the impact of these factors on politics. Furthermore, when these
beliefs are applied in political participation, it directly affects the government by deciding
who is in office and what items rise to the top of the political agenda, as well as what the
results are from these items.
Youth is often related to new life and energy. This same idea applies to youth in
politics. All of the interviews which support the claims in this paper, regardless of the
interviewees' current age, reflected the importance of political socialization during that
time in their life and how it has affected the way they have voted or plan to vote for their
entire lives. Among the interviewees, there were no distinct shared political views within
each age demographic. Variety was represented in each group, supporting that even
though the events of the time may not have been the same, the wide variety of influences
and factors surround their decision-making consistently created a diverse political culture
that America is so well-known for. In conclusion, the way someone is raised and the
environment and information around them, as represented by family, schooling, and
media, are the most influential factors in the political socialization in America today and
in turn its impact on government and politics.

Works Cited
Davies, J. C. "The Family's Role in Political Socialization." The ANNALS of the
American Academy of Political and Social Science 361.1 (1965): 10-19.
Niemi, Richard G., and Barbara I. Sobieszek. "Political Socialization." Annual Review of
Sociology (1977): 209-33.
Adoni, Hanna. "The Functions of Mass Media in the Political Socialization of
Adolescents." Communication Research 6.1 (1979): 84-106.
Edwards, George C., Martin P. Wattenberg, and Robert L. Lineberry. Government in
America. New York: Pearson Longman, 2008. Print.
"Political Socialization." Glossary. Wake Forest University, n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2013.

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