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Abstract

This study investigates political communication as a mediator of the socializing effects of major political events. We earlier found that presidential campaigns are occasions for increased crystallization of partisan attitudes among adolescents (Sears and Valentino, 1997). But what drives the socialization process during the campaign? Either the campaign saturates the media environment with political information, socializing all adolescents roughly equally, or greater individual exposure to political information is necessary for significant socialization gains during the campaign. The analyses utilize a three-wave panel study of preadults and their parents during and after the 1980 presidential campaign. Here we find that adolescents exposed to higher levels of political communication experience the largest socialization gains, that the socializing effects of political communication are limited to the campaign season, and that communication boosts socialization only in attitude domains most relevant to the campaign. We conclude that both a high salience event at the aggregate level and high individual levels of communication about the event are necessary to maximize socialization gains.The extensive research on political socialization published in the 1960s and 1970s developed the view that political attitudes were acquired at an early age, persisted into adulthood, and had a major influence over adult behavior. Acquisition of national loyalties, generalized support for governmental authority, and partisan attachments were among the attitudes thought to follow this pattern (Campbell et al.

What Is Youth Political Participation? Literature Review on Youth Political Participation and Political Attitudes

“…In this way, researchers have shown that "if parents are politically engaged and frequently discuss politics with the child, transmission rates rise substantially, particularly on topics of general political significance and salience" (Jennings et al, 2009). Here, regular political events, as well as more episodic events, offer socialization opportunities for parents (Valentino and Sears, 1998).…”

The apple does not fall far from the tree, or does it? A meta-analysis of parent–child similarity in intergroup attitudes.

“…Thus, parents are perceived as the principal agent of socialization in childhood. For example, in political or religious socialization research, parental attitudes have repeatedly been found to be main determinants of offspring attitudes (e.g., Dalhouse & Frideres, 1996;Glass, Bengston, & Dunham, 1986;Granqvist, 1998Granqvist, , 2002Jennings, Stoker, & Bowers, 2009;Valentino & Sears, 1998). Children and adolescents adopt their parents' political and religious orientations to a certain degree, and this early parental transmission appears to influence the character of later adult religious or political development even though direct parental influences often appear to decrease with offspring age (e.g., Francis & Brown, 1991;Jennings et al, 2009;Myers, 1996).…”

Personality and political preferences over time: Evidence from a multiwave longitudinal study

“…Campaigns exert this effect by promoting learning and activation. Campaigns help citizens learn because more people come into contact with political ideas and information in the months preceding an election than at any other time in the 4-year election cycle (e.g., Sears & Valentino, 1997;Valentino & Sears, 1998). Campaigns also activate latent preferences-because they culminate in an important decision that encourages citizens to use the information they receive (Campbell, Converse, Miller, & Stokes, 1960), and because existing preferences may themselves become stronger as campaigns provide more information to support them (Lodge & Taber, 2013;Tesser, 1978).…”