Political Socialization: Molding Political Ideology One Step at a Time

For many people, family is the most important thing in life. Family members are the people one is exposed to the most. It is this reason that family is the largest area from which children learn political ideology. Children are very observant and soak up the views of parents and older siblings. Some of these views pertain to politics, the country, and public policy. As children age, they take these views and opinions and make them their own. Family members are people that one closely relates to; therefore it is only natural that children emulate their opinions. This is due to the vast amount of time one spends with their family. Many people spend approximately 18 to 19 years living at home with their parents or close relatives. Also, even after one moves out, most continue to have regular contact with their family. It is during this time that one sees how their family reacts to events in the world, the election of political leaders, and the policy that they implement. The large amount of time and emotional bonds are the largest reason that children take the views and opinions of their parents, make them their own, and continue to follow these ideas as they age and start their own families.

School is another area where students experience political socialization. All countries use school as a way to create students who are knowledgeable about the country. It is also used to instill pride for one’s country and promote support for its basic values. Schools do this by activities such as the Pledge of Allegiance and listening to the National Anthem. Schools also teach students about how the political processes work. This learning in turn allows students to make informed decisions regarding politics and political leaders. Also, while in school, students are surrounded by their peers. These peers have also been influenced by their parents. Their opinions then work to influence others around them. Between intention education and the thoughts and opinions of peers, schooling is another large area where political socialization occurs.

A third agent of political socialization is the media. The media is everywhere, from billboards, to commercials, to newspapers. People spend more time in front of a television or a computer than they do regarding anything else. This means that there is ample time for people to absorb messages about the country. Many times, people do not even realize that the media is slowly shaping their opinions. One example is Sesame Street. The show is popular with young children and is teaching them to be accepting of diversity. This can be seen by the various ethnicities portrayed by the adults on the show. There are also various commercials on almost every television station that have some form of political nature. News stations and newspapers can also form our opinions by how they cover the events that occur worldwide. They can spin and concentrate on news that places the government in a good light, or a bad light. People tend to “jump on the bandwagon,” so if one person sees the media portraying the government or a certain political leader in a certain way, he or she will most likely form the same opinion. Although media consumes much of one’s life, it is less likely to have as large an impact in political socialization as schooling or family because the emotional ties are lacking.

Family, school, and media are three agents that are vital in molding political ideology. Family is very influential due to the large amounts of time and emotional connection one has with their family. School is also important because it is the way the government exerts its influence over students in order to teach them the values of the country and its processes. In school, peers also play a large role in sharing their political ideology with one another. Media, such as televisions and newspapers, is a third way people are exposed to political socialization. All of these factors combine to create people who hopefully have firm, educated opinions and thoughts about the government and its processes.