Abstract
Political participation (POP), social participation (SOP), and political interest (PI) are important indicators of social status and social inequality. Previous studies on related trait differences yielded genetic and environmental contributions. However, focusing on adult samples, classical twin designs, and convenience samples often restricts parameter estimation and generalizability, and limits the understanding of age differences. We investigated sources of variance in POP, SOP, and PI in late adolescence and early adulthood with an extended twin family design (ETFD). We analyzed data from over 2,000 representative German twin families. Individual environments not shared by family members reflected the major source of variance for all variables, but genetic influences were also pronounced. Genetic effects were mostly higher for young adults, whereas effects of twins’ shared environment were significant in adolescence. Our study deepens the understanding of the interplay between genetic and environmental factors in shaping differences in young persons’ integration in society.
Highlights
IntroductionIndividuals’ participation in the political decision process (political participation, Political participation (POP)) and participating in societal institutions like volunteer organizations (social participation, SOP) are indispensable features and pillar stones of modern democratic societies [1]
Individuals’ participation in the political decision process and participating in societal institutions like volunteer organizations are indispensable features and pillar stones of modern democratic societies [1]
Bivariate correlations between the three variables ranged from rather low to high, the mean correlations for social participation (SOP) and Political participation (POP) were r = -.18, for SOP and political interest (PI) r = -.13, and for POP and PI r =
Summary
Individuals’ participation in the political decision process (political participation, POP) and participating in societal institutions like volunteer organizations (social participation, SOP) are indispensable features and pillar stones of modern democratic societies [1]. By voting for their preferred party or candidate or by participating in rallies and protests, people attempt to influence the direction of policies in their countries or municipalities [2]. Even though POP and SOP focus on somewhat different behaviors and outcomes, they both indicate whether people are included, can partake and participate in or profit from social and political processes. It is highly relevant to understand the underlying factors of individual differences in POP and SOP, as well as political interest (PI), which represents the intrinsic motivation and a prerequisite to POP [2, 9, 10]
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