118 PART TwO • THE POlITICS OF AMERICAn dEMOCRACy
that people acquire their political beliefs and values, often including their party identifica-
tion, through relationships with their families, friends, and co- workers. The most impor-
tant early sources of political socialization are the family and the schools. Individuals’ basic
political orientations are formed in the family if other family members hold strong views.
When the adults in a family view politics as relatively unimportant and describe themselves
as independent voters or disaffected from the political system, however, children may
receive very little political socialization.
In the past few decades, more and more sources of information about politics have
become available to all Americans, especially to young people through the Web. Thus,
although their basic outlook on the political system still may be formed by early family
influences, young people are now exposed to many other sources of information about
issues and values. This greater access to information may explain why young Americans
are often more liberal than their parents on certain social issues such as gay rights.The Family. Not only do our parents’ political beliefs, values, and actions affect our
opinions, but the family also links us to other factors that affect opinion, such as race,
social class, educational environment, and religious beliefs. How do parents transmit their
political values to their offspring?
Studies suggest that the influence of parents is due to two factors: communication
and receptivity. Parents communicate their feelings and preferences to their children con-Figure 6.1 Figure 6.2
Question: Should we require background
checks for those buying guns privately and at gun
shows?Question: Should we ban the online sale of
ammunition?Oppose —44%
Favor— 53 %
No opinion—3%Favor background checks—85%
Oppose background checks— 12 %
No opinion—3%Figure 6.1 Figure 6.2
Question: Should we require background
checks for those buying guns privately and at gun
shows?Question: Should we ban the online sale of
ammunition?Oppose —44%
Favor— 53 %
No opinion—3%Favor background checks—85%
Oppose background checks— 12 %
No opinion—3%FIguRE 6–1: Consensual
OpinionFIguRE 6–2: divided
OpinionSource: Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, “In Gun Control Debate, Several Options Draw Majority
Support,” January 14, 2013.Copyright 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.