Political Socialization in a Media-Saturated World (Frontiers in Political Communication)

502 Pages·2016·11.582 MB·English

by  Esther Thorson (editor), Mitchell S. McKinney (editor), Dhavan Shah (editor)

29
The studies that comprise Political Socialization in a Media-Saturated World synthesize,
question, and update our knowledge of political socialization that has accumulated over
the past 40 years of related research. The scholarship advances innovative theoretical
P
O
perspectives and develops new models of the socialization process that revolve around
L
the key social structures of family, media, peers, and school. The Hierarchy Model of I
T
Political Socialization, in particular, provides a comprehensive conceptual framework for I
C
A
organizing and analyzing youth responses to the political. With research that spans mul-
L
tiple election cycles across nearly a decade, and data drawn from a national panel study
S
O
that allows for cross-generational comparison, the findings and models of political social-
C
T
ization presented provide the most comprehensive and in-depth examination of youth H IA
O
political socialization that exists to date. This book provides a foundation and research L
R
I
S Z
agenda for examining the millennial generation in the coming years as these citizens ma- O
A
N
T
ture and become the driving force of society and our polity. ,
I
M O
C N
K
Esther Thorson (Ph.D., University of Minnesota) is Professor of Media Economics, Innova- IN I
N
tion, and Entrepreneurism in Journalism at Michigan State University. She is co-author/ N
E A
Y
editor of eight books, including Theories of Advertising (2012), and Persuasion Ethics To- ,
M
a
day (2016). n E
d D

Mitchell S. McKinney (Ph.D., University of Kansas) is Professor and Chair of Communica- SH IA
A -
tion and Director of the Political Communication Institute at the University of Missouri. He H S
, A
is co-author/editor of seven books, including Communication in the 2008 U.S. Election: E T
d U
Digital Natives Elect a President (2011), and alieNATION: The Divide & Conquer Election s
. R
of 2012 (2014). A
T
E
Dhavan V. Shah (Ph.D., University of Minnesota) is the Louis A. & Mary E. Maier-Bascom Pro-
D
fessor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-
W
Madison. He is Director of the Mass Communication Research Center and Scientific Director O
in the Center for Health Enhancement System Studies. Shah is co-author of News Frames R
L
and National Security: Covering Big Brother (2015). D
P
E
T
E
R
L
A
N
G
www.peterlang.com
Cover images ©iStock.com/majivecka/aarrows/A-Digit
Cover design by Sophie Appel
29
The studies that comprise Political Socialization in a Media-Saturated World synthesize,
question, and update our knowledge of political socialization that has accumulated over
the past 40 years of related research. The scholarship advances innovative theoretical
P
O
perspectives and develops new models of the socialization process that revolve around
L
the key social structures of family, media, peers, and school. The Hierarchy Model of I
T
Political Socialization, in particular, provides a comprehensive conceptual framework for I
C
A
organizing and analyzing youth responses to the political. With research that spans mul-
L
tiple election cycles across nearly a decade, and data drawn from a national panel study
S
O
that allows for cross-generational comparison, the findings and models of political social-
C
T
ization presented provide the most comprehensive and in-depth examination of youth H IA
O
political socialization that exists to date. This book provides a foundation and research L
R
I
S Z
agenda for examining the millennial generation in the coming years as these citizens ma- O
A
N
T
ture and become the driving force of society and our polity. ,
I
M O
C N
K
Esther Thorson (Ph.D., University of Minnesota) is Professor of Media Economics, Innova- IN I
N
tion, and Entrepreneurism in Journalism at Michigan State University. She is co-author/ N
E A
Y
editor of eight books, including Theories of Advertising (2012), and Persuasion Ethics To- ,
M
a
day (2016). n E
d D

Mitchell S. McKinney (Ph.D., University of Kansas) is Professor and Chair of Communica- SH IA
A -
tion and Director of the Political Communication Institute at the University of Missouri. He H S
, A
is co-author/editor of seven books, including Communication in the 2008 U.S. Election: E T
d U
Digital Natives Elect a President (2011), and alieNATION: The Divide & Conquer Election s
. R
of 2012 (2014). A
T
E
Dhavan V. Shah (Ph.D., University of Minnesota) is the Louis A. & Mary E. Maier-Bascom Pro-
D
fessor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-
W
Madison. He is Director of the Mass Communication Research Center and Scientific Director O
in the Center for Health Enhancement System Studies. Shah is co-author of News Frames R
L
and National Security: Covering Big Brother (2015). D
P
E
T
E
R
L
A
N
G
www.peterlang.com
Cover images ©iStock.com/majivecka/aarrows/A-Digit
Cover design by Sophie Appel
Political Socialization in a
Media-Saturated World
Mary E. Stuckey and Mitchell S. McKinney
General Editors

Vol. 29

The Frontiers in Political Communication series
is part of the Peter Lang Media and Communication list.
Every volume is peer reviewed and meets
the highest quality standards for content and production.

PETER LANG
New York  Bern  Frankfurt  Berlin
Brussels  Vienna  Oxford  Warsaw
Political Socialization in a
Media-Saturated World

Edited by Esther Thorson,
Mitchell S. McKinney, and Dhavan Shah

PETER LANG
New York  Bern  Frankfurt  Berlin
Brussels  Vienna  Oxford  Warsaw
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Thorson, Esther, editor. | McKinney, Mitchell S., editor. | Shah, Dhavan, editor.
Title: Political socialization in a media-saturated world /
edited by Esther Thorson, Mitchell S. McKinney, Dhavan Shah.
Description: New York: Peter Lang, 2016.
Series: Frontiers in political communication; vol. 29 | ISSN 1525-9730
Includes bibliographical references.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016015061 | ISBN 978-1-4331-2572-0 (hardcover: alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-4331-2571-3 (paperback: alk. paper) | ISBN 978-1-4539-1763-3 (ebook pdf)
ISBN 978-1-4331-3571-2 (epub) | ISBN 978-1-4331-3572-9 (mobi)
Subjects: LCSH: Political socialization. | Political science—Study and teaching.
Youth—Political activity. | Mass media—Political aspects. | Mass media and youth.
Classification: LCC JA76 .P592836 2016 | DDC 306.2—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016015061

Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the “Deutsche
Nationalbibliografie”; detailed bibliographic data are available
on the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de/.

© 2016 Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., New York
29 Broadway, 18th floor, New York, NY 10006
www.peterlang.com

All rights reserved.
Reprint or reproduction, even partially, in all forms such as microfilm,
xerography, microfiche, microcard, and offset strictly prohibited.
Contents
Introduction: Theorizing Political Socialization in a Media-Saturated World       ix
Esther Thorson, Mitchell S McKinney, and Dhavan Shah
Section One: Theories of Political Socialization
Chapter One: The Role of Media Use Motives in the Classic Structural
Model of Youth Political Socialization                                        3
Esther Thorson, Hans Meyer, and Mi Jahng
Chapter Two: A Hierarchy of Political Participation Activities in
Pre-Voting-Age Youth                                                      21
Esther Thorson, Glenn Leshner, Mi Jahng, and Margaret Duffy
Chapter Three: Political Advertising and the Hierarchy of Political
Socialization in Teens                                                       47
Esther Thorson, Eunjin Kim, and Margaret Duffy
Chapter Four: Peer Influence in Adolescent Political Socialization:
Deliberative Democracy Inside and Outside the Classroom                 69
Mi Jahng, Mitchell S McKinney, and Esther Thorson
Chapter Five: Knowledge Gap in a Media-Saturated Presidential Election       87
Joonghwa Lee, Chang Dae Ham, and Esther Thorson
vi | contents
Chapter Six: State Policies for Civic Education                                  113
Peter Levine and Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg
Section Two: Parents and Children
Chapter Seven: Parenting Styles in Political Socialization: How the Path
to Political Participation Begins at Home                                   127
Edson Tandoc, Esther Thorson, and Margaret Duffy
Chapter Eight: The Importance of Family Communication Patterns
and School Civics Experiences                                             153
Chang Dae Ham, Joonghwa Lee, and Esther Thorson
Chapter Nine: Predictors of Youth Voting: Parent-Child Relationships
and Young Adult News Use                                                181
Rosanne Scholl and Chance York
Chapter Ten: Talking Politics at the Dinner Table: The Effects of
Family Political Communication on Young Citizens’ Normative
Political Attitudes                                                         195
Benjamin R Warner and Colleen Warner Colaner
Chapter Eleven: Social Media and Social Voting in Latino Families:
A Strategic Approach to Mobilizing Youth as Information Leaders          213
Michael McDevitt and Shannon Sindorf
Section Three: Interactions With Peers and Others
Chapter Twelve: Youngsters’ Political Talk With Those Outside School
and Family: The Hierarchy of Political Socialization                         233
Mi Jahng, Hans Meyer, and Esther Thorson
Chapter Thirteen: From News to Political Knowledge: The Roles of
Elaboration and Discussion                                                251
Edson Tandoc and Esther Thorson
Chapter Fourteen: Communication Norms, Contexts of Socialization,
and Youth Civic Development                                            267
Nam-jin Lee, Dhavan V Shah, and Jack M McLeod
Section Four: Youth and Political Knowledge
Chapter Fifteen: Measurement of Political Knowledge in
American Adolescents                                                    289
Esther Thorson, Seoyeon Kim, and Joonghwa Lee
contents | vii
Chapter Sixteen: Political Knowledge and Participation in Teens
During Low and High Political Interest Periods of a
Presidential Election 317
Esther Thorson, Mi Jahng, and Mitchell S McKinney
Chapter Seventeen: Political Socialization Patterns in Younger and
Older American Adolescents                                              339
Hans Meyer, Mi Jahng, & Esther Thorson
Section Five: Media Changes
Chapter Eighteen: Young Citizens’ Use of Digital and Traditional Political
Information                                                               357
J Brian Houston and Mitchell S McKinney
Chapter Nineteen: Developing Media Preferences in a Post-Broadcast
Democracy
Stephanie Edgerly and Kjerstin Thorson                                    375
Chapter Twenty: Is Dangerous News Use Dangerous? The Impact of
Safe and Dangerous News Use on Political Socialization                   393
Edson Tandoc, Esther Thorson, Mi Jahng, Eunjin Kim, and
Margaret Duffy
Chapter Twenty-One: The Origins of Media Perceptions: Judgments
of News Accuracy and Bias Among Adolescents                           409
Porismita Borah and Dhavan Shah
Chapter Twenty-Two: The Impact of News “Voice” on Adolescent
Political Efficacy                                                           431
Jeremy Littau, Liz Gardner, and Esther Thorson
Chapter Twenty-Three: Environmental Political, Civic Engagement
and Political Consumerism Among Youth                                  451
Robert H Wicks and Myria Allen
Contributors                                                                   467