Political socialization and legitimation of radical actions in adolescents: evidence from Chile (Socialización política y legitimación de acciones radicales en adolescentes: evidencia desde Chile)

Abstract

Can exposure to mass events with the presence of radical actions influence the legitimation of this type of protest in adolescents? How are changes in legitimation levels conditioned by socioeconomic status or by political socialization at home and school? To answer these questions, we used a sample of 1,203 students in their second year of secondary school in Chile who were surveyed as part of the School Citizenship Panel (Panel de Ciudadanía Escolar, PACES). In the middle of fieldwork in this study, the event known as the estallido social ('social outburst') stood out for its mass and presence of violence. We compare the students surveyed before and after this event. Contrary to our expectations, the students had similar levels of legitimation of radical actions before and after the estallido. We also found a trend towards moderation in students with a higher socioeconomic status, who had more frequent political conversations with their parents, and in students from schools that conduct civic education activities. In short, experiences of family and school political socialization can help lower an adolescent's support of radical actions in radicalized contexts. RESUMEN

Frustration and Resentment in Politics: An Application to the Chilean Case

“…Chile, as a relatively new democracy, has been characterised by strong institutions and the rule of law in recent decades (Mainwaring & Scully, 2008;Roberts, 2015). However, as suggested by several scholars, Chile has been facing a prolonged political and representative crisis (Gamboa & Segovia, 2016;Luna, 2016;Segovia & Gamboa, 2012), which culminated in October 2019 with the most violent and massive protests witnessed in its recent history (Sánchez-Barría & Miranda, 2022;Somma et al, 2021).…”

Processes of radicalization, violent extremism and terrorism (Procesos de radicalización, extremismo violento y terrorismo)

“…In a similar vein, in the third article, Sánchez-Barría and Miranda (2022) analyse how the exposure to mass events with the presence of radical actions could influence the legitimation of these actions and how this legitimation may be influenced by political socialization processes at home and school. To do so, they used a sample of adolescents during what was called the estallido social protests in Chile.…”

“…En esa línea, en el tercer artículo, Sánchez-Barría y Miranda (2022) analizan de qué manera la exposición a eventos masivos con presencia de acciones radicales podía influir en la legitimación de las mismas y de qué manera dicha legitimación podría estar influida por los procesos de socialización política en el hogar y en la escuela. Para tal fin, utilizaron una muestra de adolescentes durante el denominado ‘estallido social’ chileno.…”