PS: Political Science & Politics

Table of Contents - 2007 - Volume 40, Issue 03  


FEATURES

The Influence of Family Political Discussion on Youth Civic Development: Which Parent Qualities Matter?

Hugh  McIntosh  a1 , Daniel  Hart  a2 and James  Youniss  a3
a1 Independent Scholar
a2 Rutgers University
a3 The Catholic University of America

Article author query
mcintosh h   [Google Scholar] 
hart d   [Google Scholar] 
youniss j   [Google Scholar] 
 

Evidence suggesting that the growth of civic roots in adolescence may be crucial to the long-term development of citizenship has stimulated research into factors that might influence civic development during this time. One interesting finding to emerge from that exploration is the apparent importance of discussion to the development of civic competence. Adolescents who discuss politics and current events with their parents, peers, or teachers tend to score higher than other youth on measures of civic behaviors, attitudes, and skills. They develop higher levels of political knowledge, show greater intention to vote in the future, and do better on a range of civic outcomes from petitioning and boycotting to raising money for charities and participating in community meetings (Torney-Purta et al. 2001; Andolina et al. 2003).


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