Political socialization can be defined as the processes through which individuals acquire their beliefs and values about the political world Danziger and Smith 86 Being that people are not born with political ideas this means we learn them which begins in early life and is an ongoing process We are influenced by many factors including family schools peer groups media culture and events Some of these influences have a greater impact than others on our own personal beliefs and prepare us to take our place within society Our belief systems evolve and change and some may modify their political views many times due to a variety of factors they may encounter during their lifetime Family plays a major if not the most important role in political socialization due to their early access to influence and the fact that their viewpoints are naturally accepted the child therefore tends to identify with his parents and to adopt their outlook toward the political system Davies 10 Since a child will spend most of their time with family than anyone else that the child will most likely acquire their family s attitudes beliefs habits and or behaviors since there isn't much in the way of outside influence A child may not understand why he or she holds certain ideals but since they were raised surrounding a particular belief system then it's almost ingrained in them thus often people end up with political beliefs that are similar to their parents
