What is the process by which people acquire their political beliefs?
IntroductionPolitical socialization is the process by which people acquire their political attitudes, beliefs, opinions, and behaviors. Fred I. Greenstein offers a comprehensive definition of the socialization process: “Political learning, formal and informal, deliberate and unplanned, at every stage of the life cycle, including not only explicit political learning, but also nominally non-political learning of politically relevant social attitudes” (see Greenstein 1965, cited under Core Texts: Early Research, p. 10). As a result of political socialization, individuals gain knowledge about the political system and how it works. They develop an understanding of their political culture, the system of shared values and ideologies about how government should function in their society. Both the written and unstated rules of the society are passed on generationally, through the socialization process. People gain a sense of belonging to a community and learn about its customs and traditions, which aids them in personally identifying with the political world. They become informed about the role of active citizens and may choose to participate in political life. The field of political socialization has its origins in studies of formal training for democratic citizenship, which emerged in the early 1900s. These studies assumed a hierarchical structure of learning, where authority figures, such as parents and teachers, indoctrinated children into the norms and values of the political system. The term “political socialization” was not used explicitly until the publication of Herbert Hyman’s literature synthesis in 1959. Empirical studies investigating the ways in which people learned about government and developed their political orientations proliferated from the 1950’s through the 1980s. There was a heavy focus on the development of partisan identification, trust in government institutions and actors, and voting. The field had declined by the 1990s, as many of the theoretical assumptions, such as the focus on system stability and citizen acquiescence to authority, had been called into question. The heavy reliance on survey methodologies to explore complicated relationships constrained results. Political socialization scholarship has been revitalized in recent years, often in the guise of studies of civic engagement or civic education. The research agenda has been shaped by concerns about the lack of political interest, modest participation, and low voter turnout of young people. Explorations of classroom civics instruction and service learning have flourished. Scholars have begun to investigate areas that were largely overlooked in earlier research, including the normative and behavioral dimensions of non-electoral engagement and the influence of mass media on the socialization process. The advent of the Internet and digital technologies has opened new avenues for investigation. The revitalization of socialization scholarship has benefitted from the theoretical and analytical frameworks advanced by communication scholarship. Deliberative democracy, for example, is a concept that has become associated with political socialization research, as scholars address issues related to political discussion as a mechanism for political socialization and learning. Show
Core TextsPolitical socialization research can be divided into distinct periods. Early Research focused on how agencies, especially the family, school, and peer group, contributed to the creation of good citizens. Recent Research has moved away from examining agencies in isolation to look more closely at the interplay of agencies and the complex processes underpinning political learning. Users without a subscription are not able to see the full content on this page. Please subscribe or login. How to SubscribeOxford Bibliographies Online is available by subscription and perpetual access to institutions. For more information or to contact an Oxford Sales Representative click here. If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website. If you're behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains *.kastatic.org and *.kasandbox.org are unblocked. Political socialization is the learning process by which people develop an understanding of their political identities, opinions, and behavior. Through various agents of socialization, such as parents, peers, and schools, the lifelong experiences of political socialization play a key role in developing the traits of patriotism and good citizenship. Key Takeaways: Political Socialization
Political Socialization DefinitionPolitical scientists have concluded that political beliefs and behavior are not genetically inherited. Instead, individuals decide throughout their lifetimes where and how they fit into the political values and processes of their country through the process of political socialization. It is through this learning process that the standards and behaviors that contribute to a smoothly and peacefully functioning political system are passed between generations. Perhaps most visibly, it how people determine their political orientation—conservative or liberal, for example. Beginning in childhood, the process of political socialization continues throughout a person’s lifetime. Even people who have shown no interest in politics for years can become highly politically active as older citizens. Suddenly in need of health care and other benefits, they may be motivated to support candidates sympathetic to their cause and to join senior advocacy groups such as the Gray Panthers. Younger children tend to first associate politics and government with highly recognizable individuals such as the president of the United States and police officers. Unlike children of past generations who generally admired government leaders, modern young people tend to develop a more negative or distrustful view of politicians. This is to some extent due to the increased media coverage of political scandals. While young people usually learn about the political process from older people, they often develop their views and can eventually influence the political behavior of adults. For example, many adult Americans were swayed to changed their political orientation as a result of young peoples’ protests to the Vietnam War. In the United States, political socialization often imparts a shared belief in the virtues of democracy. School children begin to grasp the concept of patriotism through daily rituals, such as reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. By age 21, most Americans have come to associate the virtues of democracy with the need to vote. This has led some scholars to criticize political socialization in the United States as a form of forced indoctrination that discourages independent thought. However, political socialization does not always result in support for democratic political institutions. Especially during later adolescence, some people adopt political values that vary greatly from those held by the majority. The ultimate goal of political socialization is to ensure the survival of the democratic political system even during times of extreme stress, such as economic depression or war. Stable political systems are characterized by regularly held elections conducted according to legally established procedures, and that the people accept the results as legitimate. For example, when the outcome of the tumultuous 2000 U.S. presidential election was finally decided by the Supreme Court, most Americans quickly accepted George W. Bush as the winner. Instead of violent protests, the country moved on with politics as usual. It is during the political socialization process that people typically develop their levels of belief in the legitimacy of the political system and their level of political efficacy, or power, to influence that system. Political LegitimacyPolitical legitimacy describes people’s level of belief in the validity, honesty, and fairness of their country’s political processes, such as elections. People are far more likely to be confident that a highly legitimate political process will result in honest leaders who respond to their needs while rarely abusing their governmental powers. People trust that elected leaders who overstep their authority or engage in illegal activity will be held accountable through processes such as impeachment. Highly legitimate political systems are more likely to survive crises and to implement new policies effectively. Political EfficacyPolitical efficacy refers to individuals’ level of trust that by participating in the political process they can bring about change in the government. People who feel a high level of political efficacy are confident that have the knowledge and resources necessary to take part in the political process and that the government will respond to their efforts. People who feel politically effective also believe strongly in the legitimacy of the political system and are thus more likely to participate in it. People who trust that their vote will be fairly counted and will matter are more likely to go to the polls. People who feel politically effective are also more likely to take strong stands on government policy issues. For example, in the 2010 U.S. midterm elections, many people dissatisfied with what they considered to be excessive government spending supported the ultra-conservative Tea Party movement. Of the 138 Republican candidates for Congress identified as getting significant Tea Party support, 50% were elected to the Senate and 31% were elected to the House. Agents of SocializationWhile political socialization can take place almost anywhere at any time, from early childhood on, people’s political perceptions and behaviors are directly or indirectly shaped by various socializing agents, such as family, school and peers, and the media. Not only do these agents of socialization teach young people about the political system, they can also influence people’s political preferences and level of desire to take part in the political process. FamilyMany scholars consider the family to be the earliest and most-impactful agent of political socialization. Especially in families that are highly politically active, the influence of parents in the future political orientation of their children is most pronounced in the areas of party affiliation, political ideology, and level of participation. For example, children of highly politically active parents tend to develop an interest in civics making them more likely to become politically active as adolescents and adults. Similarly, since politics is often discussed in “dinner table” family settings, children often first imitate and may grow up to embrace the political party preferences and ideologies of their parents. Research has also shown that the future political involvement of children is often influenced by the socioeconomic status of their parents. Children of affluent parents are more likely to attain college-level educations, which tend to develop higher levels of political knowledge and interest. Parental socioeconomic status also tends to plays a role in the development of class-oriented and special-interest political affiliations and levels of civic involvement. Children, however, do not always continue to embrace the political orientation and practices of their parents. While they are more likely to adopt their parents’ views as teenagers, children of politically involved parents are also more likely to change their party affiliation during early adulthood as they become exposed to new political points-of-view. School and Peer GroupsIn conjunction with the parental transfer of political attitudes and behaviors to their children, the influence of school on political socialization has been the subject of much research and debate. It has been established that level of education is closely related to interest in politics, voter turnout, and overall political participation. Starting in grade school, children are taught the basics of elections, voting, and the ideology of democracy by choosing class officers. In high school, more sophisticated elections teach the fundamentals of campaigning and the influence of popular opinion. College-level courses in American history, civics, and political science encourage students to examine government institutions and processes. However, it has often been suggested that higher education can divide the population into higher and lower classes, thus giving the better-educated upper classes an unequal level of influence over the political system. In this and other ways, the actual effect of education remains unclear. In the words of David Campbell, professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame, “Specifically, we have a limited understanding of how schools do, or do not, foster political engagement among their adolescent students.” School is also one of the first settings in which young people develop intellectual relationships with peers—people other than their parents or siblings. Research indicates that children often have their first opinion-sharing discussions about politics with their peers. Peer groups, often acting as social networks, also teach valuable democratic and economic principles such as information sharing and the equitable exchange of goods and services. The MediaMost people look to the media—newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and the internet—for political information. Despite growing dependence on the internet, television remains the dominant information source, especially with the proliferation of 24-hour all-news cable channels. Not only does the media influence public opinion by providing news, analysis, and a diversity of opinion, it exposes people to modern sociopolitical issues, such as drug abuse, abortion, and racial discrimination. Quickly eclipsing conventional media in importance, the internet now serves as a source of political information. Most major television and print news outlets now have websites and bloggers also offer a wide range of political information, analysis, and opinion. Increasingly, peer groups, politicians, and government agencies utilize social media websites such as Twitter to share and disseminate political information and commentary. As people spend more of their time online, however, many scholars question whether these internet forums encourage a healthy sharing of different sociopolitical views or simply serve as “echo chambers” in which the same perspectives and opinions are shared only among like-minded people. This has resulted in some of these online sources being accused of spreading extremist ideologies, often supported by disinformation and unfounded conspiracy theories. Sources
What is the process by which people acquire their political beliefs and values called quizlet?The process by which individuals acquire their political opinions is called political socialization. This process begins during childhood, when, through family and school, people acquire many of their basic political values and beliefs.
What influences a person's political beliefs?Education, gender, occupation, family, etc. Some of them. The "family", one of these factors, is the most important institution in which all social and political processes are inherited since the birth of the individual. A lot of research reveals that the family of an individual adopts and maintains political attitude.
How are political views formed quizlet?How do people form political opinions? -Most people acquire their political attitudes, opinions, beliefs, and knowledge through the process called "political socialization." What is "political socialization"? When people are politically influenced by things around them including: family, friends, media, and co-workers.
What is the meaning of political participation?Political participation includes a broad range of activities through which people develop and express their opinions on the world and how it is governed, and try to take part in and shape the decisions that affect their lives.
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