Political Socialization and Political Trust

Dr. Brian William Smith

Learning Objectives

Evaluate how people develop political opinions and how this impacts their political behavior.

Republican Graph

AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION

The Role of Peers Often Reinforce our

Parents views

We do not tend to discuss politics

Our friends often share our SES and values

What about Primary and Secondary Schools Teach the status

quo

Correlate with our parents

Ritualizes Nationalism

Off To College The Percentage of

people going to college continues to rise

College often correlates with parents SES

The College Effect

Awareness

Indoctrination

Work Peers We work with

people like us

They share our SES

Our views are unlikely to change

The Mass Media and Political Socialization We Receive a lot of

information

Not all of it sticks

Those who could learn the most, watch the least

Why the media is not the great agent of socialization Selective Exposure

Selective Perception

Life as an Agent of Socialization Life Cycle events

Generational Effects

Period Effects

PARTICIPATING IN THE SYSTEM

The Goal of Socialization

Teach The Political Culture What are the Core Beliefs of America?

• Freedom

• Equality

Political Tolerance: Support for the Abstract

Pluralistic Intolerance

Figure 6.1Question: “In order to curb terrorism in this country, do you think it will be necessary for the average person to give up some civil liberties, or not?”

Pluralistic Intolerance II

POLITICAL TRUSTWe Do not Like our Government

Trust the Federal Government?

Waste Taxes?

Crooked?

They Don’t Care

Pay Attention?

Why Does Government Keep Functioning? We Support the basic Consensus of

Government

We have not had the Big Problems