Where do opinions come from? 203Where Do Opinions Come From?
This section describes the sources that people draw from to inform their opinions, and
the ways that these different sources interact to determine both individual opinions
and collective public opinions. Some opinions are influenced by early life experiences,
such as exposure to the beliefs of parents, relatives, or teachers; others result from later
life events or from informal conversations with friends. Politicians also play a critical
role in the opinion-formation process.Socialization: Families, Communities, and Networks
Theories of political socialization show that children develop a liberal or conservative
ideology; a level of trust in others; their own class, racial, and ethnic identity; and other
political opinions based on what they learn from their parents.^8 For example, one of
the best predictors of a college student’s party identification is the party ID of their
parents. Opinions formed through socialization are not necessarily permanent; in
fact, people often respond to events by modifying their opinions, even those developed
early in life. Thus, an individual who originally identified as a Democrat because their
parents were Democrats might move away from the party later in life because she did
not like the party’s candidates, because she thought Democrats did a poor job running
the country, or because she disagreed with the party’s platform. Even so, for many
people, ideas learned during childhood continue to shape their political opinions
throughout their lives.^9
Beyond these influences, research finds broader aspects of socialization that
shape political opinions. People are socialized by their communities, the people they
interact with while growing up, such as neighbors, teachers, clergy, and others.^10
Support for democracy as a system of government and for American political
institutions is higher for individuals who take a civics class in high school.^11 Growing
up in a homogeneous community, one where many people share the same cultural,
ethnic, or political beliefs, increases adults’ sense of civic duty—their belief that
voting or other forms of political participation are important social obligations.^12
Volunteering in community organizations as a child also shapes political beliefs
and participation in later life.^13 Engaging in political activity as a teenager, such as
volunteering in a presidential campaign, generates higher levels of political interest
as an adult; it also strengthens the belief that people should care about politics and
participate in political activities.^14
Individuals’ opinions are also shaped by their network: the people they interact
with on a regular basis. For many people, these interactions are an important
source of information about political events as well as how these events should be
interpreted. Put another way, you might not think that meeting for coffee with a
friend would affect your opinions about climate change, but suppose during the
conversation your friend mentioned how much hotter this year had been compared
to last year. While such casual conversations are unlikely to have a permanent impact,
they might well influence your thinking in the short run—for example, if a week
after having coffee, you have to decide how to vote in an election where climate
change is an issue.EXPLAIN HOW PEOPLE
FORM POLITICAL
ATTITUDES AND
OPINIONSpolitical socialization
The process by which an individual’s
political opinions are shaped by other
people and the surrounding culture.Full_07_APT_64431_ch06_198-231.indd 203 16/11/18 1:37 PM