The Effect of a Parent’s Socialization of Political Beliefs on their Child

Indianapolis, IN

This research examines the relation between parent and child’s political beliefs. A survey was conducted at Butler University. I analyze in particular beliefs such as political affiliation, religious judgment, same sex marriage, women’s rights, and gun control. The data was analyzed using cross tabulation and chi square to address the hypothesis that college students share the same political affiliation as their parents but may show differences in contemporary issues due to a generational gap. The majority of participants who identified as a certain political preference were in agreement with their parents. Out of 28 Democratic participants, 17 of their parents agreed, and for 22 Republican participants, 16 of their parents agreed. These chi square calculations were significant.