AGENTS OF POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION

Political socialization
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Political socialization is a concept concerning the “study of the developmental processes by which children and adolescents acquire political cognition, attitudes and behaviours” (Powell, 2003, p. 20).

[edit] Agents of Socialization
These Agents of Socialization all influence in one degree or another an individual's political opinions: Family, Media, Friends, Teachers, Religion, Race, Gender, Age, Geography, etc. Most political opinions are formed during childhood.

[edit] Factors
The agents a child surrounds him/herself during childhood are crucial to the child's development of future voting behaviours. Some of these agents include:
Family: Glass et al (1986) recognizes family (1) as a primary influence in the development of a child’s political orientation, mainly due to constant relationship between parents and child
Child's party
Parent=Dem
Parent=Ind
Parent=Rep
Democrat
66%
29%
13%
Independent
27%
53%
36%
Republican
7%
17%
51%
Schools: most influential of all agents
Mass Media: Becker et al (1975) argue that the media (2) functions as a political information-giver to adolescents and young children.
Religion: Religious tradition can have a strong effect on someones political views. For example, Protestants tend to be more conservative.
Political Parties: Scholars such as Campbell (1960) note that political parties (3) have very little direct influence on a child due to a contrast of social factors such as age, context, power, etc.
Work Place