Political Socialisation

Abstract

Political socialisation describes the process by which citizens crystalise political identities, values and behaviour that remain relatively persistent throughout their lives. Among the different potential agents of socialisation, family is considered one of the key institutions responsible for transmitting political attitudes. As a consequence of a differential political socialisation, some individuals develop a particular motivation to get involved in politics. In this chapter, survey data have been used to analyse the catalysts for political engagement among Spanish parliamentary elites by especially focusing on their family background. The process of political socialisation of this particular group is then compared with the rest of the Spanish population. The chapter also focuses on parliamentary socialisation, which takes place at later stages in life, when MPs are doing legislative work. Empirical analysis finds support for the hypothesis of parliamentary socialisation, since MPs have preferences that do not concur with similar sociodemographic groups in the population.

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