The Socialization Effect of Education on Authoritarian-Libertarian Values

Abstract

This chapter examines the effect of socialization in education on the formation of authoritarian-libertarian values. Over the past few decades, education has emerged as an increasingly important predictor of electoral outcomes and political orientations, renewing academic debate on the underlying mechanisms that drive the association. This chapter provides an overview of the central theoretical perspectives and recent findings in the field. Beginning with an discussion of the different strands of research in the literature on political socialization and education, the chapter thereafterfocuses on the importance of schools as sites for socialization. Special emphasis is given to the contextual conditions facilitating attitudinal change, highlighting the fact that the school class composition and political context are expected to play central roles in determining whether and how attitudes are socialized. It further addressess the methodological difficulties involved in distinguising the direct socializing effects of education from selection effects into education. Finally, the chapter concludes by exploring avenues for future research.