Agents Of Political Socialization Research Articles

Editorial: Agents of political socialization in the 21st century

Editorial: Agents of political socialization in the 21st century

Empowering the Traditional Indigenous Politics through Education: An Agent of Political Socialization

Empowering the Traditional Indigenous Politics through Education: An Agent of Political Socialization

Influence of Political Socialization Agents on Political Participation among Electorate: An Empirical Study in Bauchi State-Nigeria

Influence of Political Socialization Agents on Political Participation among Electorate: An Empirical Study in Bauchi State-Nigeria

Технологии социальных медиа в политической социализации студенческой молодежи

The article reveals the role of social media and modern communication technologies influencing process of political socialization of students who is an actor of innovation in society. The political socialization of students is influenced by historical events, widespread political values, and political system. It is shown that during periods of social change political norms and values are blurred, the influence of previously dominant agents and mechanisms of political socialization (families, schools, education systems) decreases, new agents of political socialization of students (reference groups, bloggers, Internet communities) come to the fore. The main tool of political socialization of students is mediated communication through social media. The influence of traditional media on young people is decreasing while at the same time the influence exerted by social media is growing. Social media itself acts as a technology for promoting various ideas including political ones. Specific types of youth involvement in politics such as online contact and direct participation are considered. The technologies of social media influence on the political socialization of young people are described that allow fragmenting the public sphere ("filter bubbles", "echo chambers", "information bunkers") forming clip consciousness which does not contribute to the reflection and holistic perception of the political picture in the world. It is emphasized that the most active participants of online communities are students who easily pick up trends and images. There are no structures in modern social networks that guarantee the minority qualitatively equal access to the advisory function of public sphere. The article shows the role of expert communities in politics, social management and influence on youth. It is noted that the expert community as a self-organizing disordered system has the property of dissipativity. The functions of the expert community are analytical, communicative, educational, predictive, ideological, innovative. The technologies of the agenda and creation of thematic groups and communities in social media are considered, political trends in thematic groups and communities are highlighted. The majority determines the agenda. There is no censorship and strict moderation political discussions. Participation transmits from offline to online sphere.

Political Socialization of Youth: The Main Approaches

The paper discusses the main approaches to the political socialization of youth. The relevance of this study is due to the fact that young people have the potential to reproduce and maintain the stability of the political system. It closely connected the processes of political socialization of youth in such transitional societies as in Russia with different approaches to the “youth” definition. The study represents political socialization as integrating individuals into political processes in order to further reproduce the political system. In a broad sense, socialization is the process of assimilation by an individual of the norms and rules of behavior in society for a full entry into it. The agents of political socialization in this process are both state institutions and institutions of civil society.

Школа как агент политической социализации в современной России: проблемы и перспективы развития

Introduction. The authors analyze some features of Russian students’ political socializing at the present stage. The purpose of the study is to identify the main trends that characterize the role of the school as an agent (active subject) of political socialization. Methods. The empirical basis of the study is the results of the survey in which 554 students and 151 teachers of history and social studies in Chelyabinsk schools took part, the authors used qualitative (projective tests, in-depth interviews) and quantitative (survey) methods. Scientific novelty. The specific feature of the authors’ approach to the problem under study is to perceive the school as an agent of political socialization, which is able to carry out the targeted steps of including children into the political sphere of the society within the educational process at several levels. Results. The data show that the socializing impact at the school level is relatively ineffective. The analysis revealed the problems that teachers have to face when conducting training activities related to delivering knowledge about politics: 1) students’ lack of interest; 2) comparatively low level of teach- ers’ special competence; 3) lack of necessary free time, etc. At the same time, students showed a fairly high level of behavioral activity and cognitive complexity in assessing power institutions. The unconscious component of students’ political ideas is characterized by the absence of formed values and the heterogeneity of power images. Conclusions. The school as an agent of political socialization is losing its role as the leading agent of socializing when forming political values and students’ ideas about politics in modern conditions. The main reason for this is the dominant role of social networks and the. Students tend to get in- formation about politics from external sources, so they are less likely to resort to discussing current political issues with teachers. This process leads to the need to develop new conceptual approaches to forming state policy in the field of general education.

New vs traditional agents of political socialization of youth of the regions of the Russian Federation in digital communication environment

New vs traditional agents of political socialization of youth of the regions of the Russian Federation in digital communication environment

Digital inclusion as a factor of political socialization of high school students

The purpose of this article is to identify the main trends in the influence of digital inclusion on the process of political socialization of high school students. Unconventional political activity of schoolchildren in recent years has increased the interest of scientists in the study of political socialization of children and adolescents, as well as factors influencing this process and its results. The empirical base was made up of the materials of the author's research of high school students in Krasnodar (questionnaire survey and expert sessions), as well as materials of sociological research by other authors. The level of involvement in the political life of citizens and the constructive experience of civil and political practices in a digital society largely depends on the updated set of digital competencies of citizens. Digital inclusion has the maximum impact on the political socialization of Generation Z, whose primary socialization occurred in the digital era. The level of involvement of Krasnodar high school students in digital communication is estimated as medium and high, and the level of digital competencies as medium and low. The authors have identified such vectors of the influence of digital inclusion on the political socialization of schoolchildren as: the movement from the sequence of "five transitions" of youth to their overlap and related problems of managing multitasking of identity construction; the change in the configuration of agents of political socialization from hierarchical to hybrid and the emergence of groups of youth outside the influence of traditional agents of socialization; the increasing role of digital media personalities in the formation of political views of adolescents; the development of digital technologies for the formation of political and civic identity.

The Influence of Political Socialization among Educated Youth at Universiti Putra Malaysia

This article discusses the influence of political socialization among educated youths in Malaysia, with special focus given to Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) students. The political learning process of youth groups is essential to be refined from time to time, especially in political socialization everyday defined until they reach a stage of maturity in their life. Many factors and agents are involved in the process of political socialization of an individual. Therefore, this article focuses on the factors and agents of political socialization that influence the learning process of political affairs among UPM students. This study used a quantitative approach with survey techniques using a self-administered questionnaire involving 431 educated Malay and Chinese youth for comparison in studying the influence of political socialization. This study showed that there are different variations on the influence of political socialization among Malay and Chinese youth. Each agent has its role in influencing the political socialization of the youth groups being studied. Ironically, the learning process about the political affairs of these educated youths is significantly influenced by educational and government factors and the family and peer group factors that have a strong influence, particularly in their literacy formation and political awareness.

Bystanders of Politics? Examining the Political Portrait of Chinese Videogame Players

ABSTRACT This research aimed to understand whether Chinese videogame players are unconcerned and disconnected from politics. Based on a survey conducted with 468 participants, our results showed that the frequency of videogame playing and game community involvement positively predicted political interest, overall political efficacy, and political participation. The results also supported the mediating effect of political interest and efficacy. In general, the current study refutes the stigmatization of Chinese videogame players as being bystanders of politics, highlighting the potential of videogames as political socialization agents. Implications are discussed along with suggestions for further research.

The Role of Agents of Political Socialization in the Use of Social Media

This study aims to reveal the role of the agents of political socialization in the use of social media as a tool for receiving political news and political participation. The research findings suggest that there is a positive relationship between the use of social media as a tool for receiving political news and the agents of political socialization, namely, the family, friend groups, school, and traditional media. Similarly, a statistically significant relationship has been found between the use of social media as a tool for political participation and family, friend groups, school, and traditional media.

The political socialization of Latinx youth in a conservative political context

Drawing on semi-structured interviews, participant observations, surveys, and voting records, this mixed-methods study investigates Latinx youths' political socialization and grassroots organizing efforts in a conservative, anti-immigrant regional context. This investigation makes three contributions. First, findings suggest that under hostile political contexts, vertical (adult-to-youth) forms of political socialization may rarely guide Latinx youth in taking political action, and may sometimes even discourage participation. Second, we show that, despite political opposition, youth organizing groups can function as vehicles of horizontal (peer-to-peer) socialization, bolstering members' political engagement and providing them with valuable civic knowledge and skills. Third, youth-led grassroots mobilization efforts can increase young voter turnout, as evidenced by our experimental findings. We argue that grassroots youth organizing groups can empower their members to operate as agents of political socialization among a peer constituency that extends far beyond their friendship networks and schoolmates.

Political socialization in kindergartens: Observations of ceremonies of the Israeli Jewish holidays and memorial days

AbstractThis study investigated political socialization in Israeli‐Jewish kindergartens. Specifically, it examined the scope of conflict supporting and peace supporting themes that Jewish‐Israeli kindergarten teachers transmit to children during ceremonies of national events. Sixty‐eight observations in 17 state‐secular and state‐religious kindergartens were conducted during five ceremonies: Passover, Holocaust Day, Memorial Day for Israeli Fallen Soldiers, Independence Day, and Jerusalem Day. The findings reveal that teachers transmit messages that comply with the conflict supporting themes to the children. The most dominant themes were collective self‐perceived victimization, justness of one’s own goals, positive collective self‐image, ingroup security, and patriotism. These themes were more dominant in state‐religious than in state‐secular kindergartens. Thus, we found that the kindergarten teachers serve as agents of political socialization who transmit the hegemonic national narratives to the younger generation.

Looks Like Me, Thinks Like Me: Descriptive Representation and Opinion Congruence in Brazil

This article argues that descriptive representation, or demographic similarities between legislators and the public, can provide effective substantive representation of citizens’ concerns. We examine representation through the lens of opinion congruence or alignment in the policy preferences of legislators and citizens sharing various identities. Congruence may result from shared material interests or from self-selection into an identity group on the basis of policy views, but it can also be a product of networks and organizations that socialize masses and elites into a common worldview. Though political parties were historically the most important agents of political socialization, we argue that religious organizations constitute a more powerful socializing force in many new democracies. Examining the case of Brazil, we draw on three legislative surveys and fifteen mass surveys to analyze congruence across seven issue areas. Legislators and voters from underrepresented groups—women, Afro-Brazilians, evangelical Christians, and those of lower social class—are generally closer in their opinions than those sharing a party or electoral district. Evangelicals are often the most congruent. Analyzing original surveys of congregations and clergy, we argue that this finding results from the socializing role of churches.

Influence of Political Socialization Agents on Pakistani Youth’s Political Participation: The Mediating Role of Media and Interpersonal Communication

Apathetic and disconnected from the political world, these are just two of the titles scientists, journalists and politicians have been attributing to youth. Hence, what factors weaken or encourage youth to participate in politics is forefront in academic and non-academic researches. Hence, in view of this context, the role of political socialization agents in engendering political activities among youth cannot be overstated. However, not much research is being carried out in this area. Thus, this study assessed the influence of family communicative environment and peer norms as political socialization agents on media and political participation. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on social sciences students of Pakistani universities. Questionnaire (228) was used to collect data which were analyzed by using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings revealed that among other political socialization agents, peer norms was found to be more significant for youth’s media consumption and political behavior. In particular, results revealed that information consumption through traditional newspaper; TV and online newspaper led to political participation, centering political expression via interpersonal communication. Moreover, interpersonal communication is found to have direct influence on Pakistani youths political participation. This study provides an empirical justification for the potential of peer group as agent of political socialization for enhancing political activities among youth in Pakistan. Keywords: Political socialization, family, peer norms, informational media use, interpersonal communication, political participation.

Політичний акціонізм: поняття, форми, досвід використання у політичному процесі.

In the article political actionism is defined as a system of artistically pronounced forms of political protest, public debate and discussed, which demonstrate theatricality, game components, staginess, dynamics etc. It is underlined that political actionism is a combination of spectacular forms of political participation of protest and provocative nature (sometimes also antisocial) intended to challenge the existing political system.The author emphasizes that political activism combines a number of non-violent protest technologies at the intersection of political activism and artistry, aimed mostly and media attention and receiving further public resonance. Political activism is presented as artistic, spectacular and game form of delivering a political message. The author proposed a system of political activism features: non-institutional character; general impartiality in delivering some political message, but attention is paid to the fact that political activism may represent a certain ideology, political force; the idea of action is promoted in order to draw attention to the problem, but the primary interaction is carried out with the spectators rather than with the authorities. The spectators may take part in the action while it is being carried out or respond to it later (through messages in social networks, sharing pictures or videos etc.).The article argues that the system of political actionism consists of political performance, happening, art installations, street art, flash mobs, body art etc. The following functions of political actionism have been defined: information and communication (communicating a certain political idea, generation of new political meanings, rapid spread of new information); political socialization (the political outlook of people and their understanding of politics is shaped under the influence of different actions; actionists play the role of political socialization agents); political mobilization (uniting people in order to promote a political idea, enhancing participation in potential actions).Political performance is viewed as a type of actionist practices, which is a visual and procedural composition (game, performance) on political issues with symbolic attributes that is presented to random or invited audience. Political happening is defined as an actionist, improvisational form of political activity involving casual participant with conventional and dynamically changing scenario of the action. Political installation is viewed as a spatial art composition, the combined elements of which are endowed with symbolism, transmitting and manifesting some political ideas. The article considers political flash mob as spectacular and playful kind of the political actionism technology that consists of single or wavy performance of short theatrical mass actions according to a pre-agreed scenario; it is a spectacular network interaction, which is carried out on the basis of horizontal social communication. Political street art is viewed as politically oriented street art, which visualizes the socio-political process, usually within urbanized space. The article presents scientific approaches to interpretation of political body art as a type of actionism, which uses the body language through drawing pictures on it in order to visualize the political self-identification. Political body art is defined as a method of non-verbal communication, person drawing attention to himself or herself (emphasizing the individuality), and a way of increasing the political “recognizability” of a person.

THE INFLUENCE OF POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION AGENTS ON POLITICAL PARTICIPATION OF PAKISTANI YOUTHS

Young people are often characterized as apathetic and disconnected from the political world. Undoubtedly, their low rate of participation in general elections has increased concerns amongst researchers as well as policy makers. This concern has stimulated researchers to explore the factors which weaken or discourage youth engagement in political activities. Thus, this study assesses the role of family communicative environment, peer group communicative environment and school communicative environment as types of political socialization agents of political participation of youths. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 288 social science students in Pakistan. Questionnaires were used to collect data and the collected data was analyzed using SPSS 23. The findings revealed that family communicative environment and peer group communicative environment positively influence the political participation of youths. However, school communicative environment was found to influence political participation negatively. This study provides an empirical justification for the potential of family and peer group as agents of political socialization for enhancing political activities among youth in Pakistan.

And What About Siblings? A Longitudinal Analysis of Sibling Effects on Youth’s Intergroup Attitudes

Within the process of political socialization, the family is of particular importance. Apart from parents, however, little is known about the role of other close family members. The present study examined if siblings affect each other's intergroup attitudes (i.e., intolerance towards immigrants, social dominance orientation). Drawing on a sample of 362 sibling dyads (older siblings: M age = 17.77, 53.6% female; younger siblings: M age = 13.61, 61.3% female), the results showed that older siblings' intergroup attitudes predicted younger siblings' attitudes, but this effect was moderated by gender. Specifically, older siblings' intolerance and social dominance orientation were only found to affect their younger sisters, yet not their younger brothers. Although younger siblings' intergroup attitudes had no main effect on older siblings, a significant moderation by age indicated that younger siblings affected older siblings' social dominance orientation with increasing age. These moderation effects of age and gender were not mediated by the quality of family relationships. The findings also remained the same when parental intergroup attitudes were taken into account. While siblings were generally identified as an important agent of political socialization in youth, the results also highlight the necessity to further examine the mechanism that either facilitate or hinder sibling effects.

Politics and the Universities in Postrevolutionary Iran

In the Islamic Republic of Iran, universities are meant to not only produce and distribute knowledge, but also to act as agents of political socialization. Since the establishment of the Islamic regime in 1979, the state has recklessly tried to control and Islamize universities in order to “purify” them from nonconformist students and scholars and train a new generation of devout Muslims for the state bureaucracy. Although these efforts have ultimately failed to create an Islamic university, they have led to massive brain drain and reduced the quality of Iranian higher education.

Politics and the Universities in Postrevolutionary Iran

In the Islamic Republic of Iran, universities are meant to not only produce and distribute knowledge, but also to act as agents of political socialization. Since the establishment of the Islamic regime in 1979, the state has recklessly tried to control and Islamize universities in order to “purify” them from nonconformist students and scholars and train a new generation of devout Muslims for the state bureaucracy. Although these efforts have ultimately failed to create an Islamic university, they have led to massive brain drain and reduced the quality of Iranian higher education.