1. Objectifs

Intentions :
« [T]his study looks at political discussion among parents, friends and teachers. The goal is to determine how political discussion affects political interest. » (p. 407)

Questions/Hypothèses:
« My main hypothesis is that these three agents of socialization [parents, friends and teachers] major role in the development of political interest (or lack thereof) among teenagers. Youth in a politically engaged social network should develop a higher interest in politics. I also anticipate that the influence of the three agents is not equal, as their place in the life of the teenager is quite different and evolves over time. » (p. 407) Also, the author tests other hypotheses : « H1:When parents, friends or teachers talk about politics, teenagers are more likely to be interested in politics. H2: As teenagers grow older, parents’ influence becomes weaker, while friends’ influence rises. H3: Teachers’ influence is relatively weaker and more context dependent. [...] H4: The more parents, friends or teachers discuss politics, the more likely teenagers are
to develop political interest. H5: The greater the increase in political discussions in social networks, the more likely teenagers are to develop political interest. » (p. 409)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
499 adolescents de la région de Montréal ont répondu à un questionnaire à chaque année pendant trois ans.

Instruments:
Questionnaire

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

« The recent decline in voter turnout, a trend largely attributed to lack of youth participation, has focused the attention of many scholars on the study of young people and politics. While great strides have been made in understanding youth disengagement, one dimension of the field that remains understudied is the development of political interest. This research begins to address this gap by evaluating one specific influence, the social network. Using a panel of 499 Quebec teenagers surveyed annually for three years, this study considers how political interest is affected by political discussion among a teenager’s parents, friends and teachers. As one might expect, analysis of the data confirmed that parents who often discuss politics have children who are more interested in politics and who are more likely to develop political interest. The effect of other agents of socialization, however, should not be underestimated. Friends were often found to be on par with parents concerning their influence on change in political interest, and results concerning teachers suggest that some classes, history in this case, can play an important civic role. » (p. 405)