Reconceptualizing Youth Political Socialization: A Theoretical Framework

Abstract

The conventional views of political socialization of youth have been largely limited to the impact of immediate family and what is learned within school curriculum (Gordon & Taft, 2011; van Deth, Abendschon, & Vollmar, 2011). Traditionally, it was held that children will almost always duplicate their parents’ or caregivers’ political views, especially as related to political party affiliation, voting patterns, and political involvement (Allen & Bang, 2015; McDevitt & Chaffee, 2002; Schulman & DeAndrea, 2014). However, this conventional or “traditional” model of youth political socialization is antiquated, as research has shown that there are several other factors at play. Political socialization is in fact a dynamic process and youth respond to it by forming their agency. Youth are part of multiple realities and influenced by a variety of factors, including family, community, and location in which they live; education, schools, and peers; gender; religious elements; and media (all of these are discussed more in depth in subsequent chapters). Youth are not passive recipients of political stimuli but play an active role in shaping their own political perspectives as they are “reflective agents growing up within specific and historical contexts…” (Yates & Youniss, 1998, p. 496). This chapter will deconstruct the traditional model of political socialization that mutes youth political agency and illustrate the different ways youth are politically socialized, with particular focus on the multiple agents, realities, and relationship between local and global discourses that assist in forming youth’s perspectives and actions, keeping in mind that all of these elements are closely interrelated.