Short Title

POLITICAL BEHAVIOUR OF GENERATIONS

Full Title

Political Behaviour of Generations: Socialisation, Attitudes and Participation

Brief Description

The research investigates political attitudes and way of thinking among people belonging to various generations from the perspective of socialisation assuming an influence on political behaviour of generations. Related activity involves both theoretical work and empirical data analysis.

Research Period

Since the beginning of 2012

Research Type

Individual project

Research Monitoring Body

The Programme Committee of the Ageing Research Programme

Project Supervisor

Péter Róbert and Andrea Szabó

Project Manager

Balázs Kiss

Researchers

Tibor Valuch   

Contact

Péter Róbert (robert.peter@tk.mta.hu)
Andrea Szabó (szabo.andrea@tk.mta.hu)

Research Summary

The sub-project is carried out in the framework of the project ‘The Political Science of Population Ageing. Political conflicts in generational perspective’ in the Department of Political Behaviour of the Institute for Political Science, Centre for Social Sciences Hungarian Academy of Sciences. It investigates the relationship between three fields: political socialisation, political thinking and attitudes, political participation from a generational perspective.
A theoretical goal involves the conceptual definition and description of the generational features in the relationship of the three fields mentioned. Conceptually, it is crucial that political socialisation does not ‘come to en end’ in the life course; the first basic part in young age is followed by a lifelong socialisation process that takes place in the individual life course within the various historical periods. Socialisation is affected by micro factors (parental background, broader family, friendship) and macro factors (social institutions, social environment, the media). Way of thinking as well as attitudes in the course of socialisation are determined both individually and historically. It is vital that the impact of various historical events varies by the age of the individuals when these evens have occurred.
Political behaviour is an outcome of generational (age-related and historical) socialisation process as well as of cognitive, emotional and attitudinal contents derived from the socialisation.
The research investigates theoretically developed questions and tests hypotheses on that ground empirically utilising the data from political public opinion survey (e.g. ESS, ISSP). It is planed to apply for research funds in order to carry surveys related to the project.