Political Socialization and the Making of Citizens

Abstract

Political socialization describes the process by which citizens crystalize political identities, values and behavior that remain relatively persistent throughout later life. This chapter provides a comprehensive discussion of the scholarly debate on political socialization, posing a number of questions that arise in the study of political socialization and the making of citizens. First, what is it about early life experiences that makes them matter for political attitudes, political engagement, and political behavior? Second, what age is crucial in the development of citizens’ political outlook? Third, who and what influences political orientations and behavior in early life, and how are cohorts colored by the nature of time when they come of age? Fourth, how do political preferences and behavior develop after the impressionable years? The chapter further provides an outlook of the challenges and opportunities for the field of political socialization.

School lessons, social media and political events in a get-out-the-vote campaign: successful drivers of political engagement among youth?

“…At the same time, we find that using general news media is still one of the main influencing factors for shaping political engagement, a result that is in line with previous research that describes news media use as one of the main pillars of young citizens' political socialization de (e.g. De Vreese and Moeller 2014;McLeod 2000;Neundorf and Smets 2017). News use via online or social media has a particular positive impact on young voters' engagement with politics (e.g.…”

“…Political events are a rather new phenomenon in the canon of factors affecting political socialization (Neundorf and Smets 2017). We find that participation in political events held in the context of the STEM'RNE campaign had a positive effect on youths' political interest.…”

“…Bhatti and Hansen 2012), it is generally believed that early-life experiences form the basis for political attitudes, engagement, and participation patterns in later adulthood (Alwin and Krosnick 1991;Easton and Dennis 1969). Successful ways to mobilize young voters are achieved through peers and parents (Bhatti and Hansen 2012), while get-out-the-vote-campaigns often focus on civic education, political events, and media exposure McLeod 2000;Neundorf and Smets 2017).…”

“…Kids Voting or Student Voices in the United States) may also raise participation and interest levels (e.g. Eagles and Davidson 2001;Feldman et al 2007;McDevitt and Chaffee 2000;Syvertsen et al 2009 While the main goal of general political campaigns is to mobilize voters to turn out (Miller 2013), informational campaigns for young citizens also target learning and habit formation (Neundorf and Smets 2017). Extant research suggests that political campaigns can directly motivate turnout (e.g.…”

“…In line with relevant political socialization mechanisms, campaigns aim at increasing knowledge about political topics among young citizens, getting them in touch with political actors, or fostering political discussion and a sense of belonging (Howard and Posler 2012;McKinney and Banwart 2005). The sources of information employed can vary from campaign to campaign, but are mostly oriented towards political education in school, information received via media, and political events McLeod 2000;Neundorf and Smets 2017). Correspondingly, get-out-the-vote campaigns make use of a variety of means to reach young citizens, for example through the organization of events, classroom interventions, or the use of specific media platforms.…”