Political Socialization

How are the political views of people influenced by their backgrounds? After the presidential elections in 2014, 41% of Americans identified themselves as democrats, while 42% identified as republicans (Jones, 2016). Political socialization is defined as “the process by which people acquire political beliefs and values” (Bardes, 2016). For instance, some people form political opinions based on their social status, economic status, family, age, race, education, social media etc. Indeed, political socialization influences the formation of public opinion through many factors, with education being one of the most important aspects in the process. Therefore, people with academic education are more likely to be involved in political participation in several countries (Persson, 2010).

Public opinion is “the aggregate of individual attitudes or beliefs shared by some portion of the adult population” (Bardes, 2016). Individuals tend to congregate in family circles, social media, and/or academic institutions where they share their political views. The significance of these congregations is that people generate consensus opinions that may become important in public opinion. For instance, Armando Navarro, a professor of ethnic studies at the University of California, Riverside, argues that now is the time to create a political party that contemplates the views of Latino people in the United States (Navarro, 2012). He presented his political opinion at the 40th Anniversary Commemoration of the 1972 Raza Unida Party National Convention in 2012 in El Paso, Texas. Thousands of people attended the conference, including many who shared his political views (Juarez,