BY DANIELLA ASPURU
During childhood, before kids can even think for themselves, they are often told what convictions to believe in. Politics especially have rooted into the minds of kids, and instead of finding out the facts for themselves, they are taught to agree with their parents. Although Parental influence isn’t necessarily a negative aspect, kids should be able to take their own stance in the political world.
According to the book “Political Campaign Communication: Inside and Out”, Political Socialization is defined as the “study of the developmental processes by which children of all ages (12 to 30) and adolescents acquire political cognition, attitudes, and behaviors.” It’s a learning process that passes from one generation to another and in this process, political cultures and their views toward political objects are formed. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, the small percentage of kids that disagree with their parents. However, for the most part, children pick up traits and views from their environment.
Most kids learn by example and what they observe becomes subliminal, causing them not to even realize they are being influenced in such a way. Surveys taken on Gallup.com asked teen from ages 13-17 to compare their social and political views with those of their parents. While a fifth of U.S. teens (21%) say they are “more liberal” than their parents and 7% say “more conservative,” 7 in 10 teens (71%) say their political views are the same as their parents.
Aside from being heavily influenced from growing up with their parents, kids are too lazy to look up the facts for themselves. As human beings children are inclined to trust their parents’ opinions despite a concrete reason to back up their views. This is understandable, however when ignorance comes into play, it becomes a problem and it is imperative children learn valid information and facts before expressing their views. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”
Political beliefs all boil down to the way a child is raised and his/her parents political views. Factors such as political socialization, parental influence, and carelessness all affect a child’s views. For the future of our nation, children must learn to ignore these factors and make up their own minds.
