Many factors influence our perception of the world: education, financial status, family, and peers. Our political beliefs are important parts of our identity and impact how we act and see the world. As we grow up, our parents feed us vital information about current events that develop our political socialization, but their information is often filtered by their own beliefs.
Who you know and who you socialize with greatly influences your politics. Kingston Desuasido ‘27, co-leader of SHP Current Events Club, calls this the theory of political socialization. He said, “Parents do have a heavy influence on kids’ political beliefs,” explaining that “your family is at the top of, you know, that political socialization list.”
According to the Children’s Hospital of Chicago, children’s “brains are like sponges, wanting to ‘soak up’ new experiences, lessons and skills from their environment.” Parents especially have the most influence on their children, as they’re the people they are with all the time. Caitlin Grahmann, ‘28 said that, “as a kid, I feel like we all just blindly trust our parents.” One freshman said, “Obviously, my political views do align with my parents’ because I think that you aren’t born with views. You’re taught them.” Our parents’ beliefs are the foundation for our own beliefs, but in order for society to evolve with the next generation, children can’t simply become imitations of their parents.
Children should be able to develop their own opinions about what they choose to believe , even though parental influence is difficult to overcome. Although it’s hard to ignore parental bias when developing our beliefs, it’s important for teens to develop their own ideas as they begin to grow independent from their parents. But differing parent/child beliefs become complicated because rejecting political beliefs can come across as rejecting the core values of the family.
In the United States today, political views aren’t just political anymore; they reflect our core values that can differ drastically . In the past, political views were considered to be on a spectrum. Today, there are fewer people with moderate beliefs and more voters with distinct views, creating dislike and distrust for people of the opposing party. According to Pew Research, statistics from 2022 showed rising animosity between Democrats and Republicans, with over 70% of both parties viewing the other party as immoral. One SHP parent said, “I feel pretty sad about where our nation is and that it’s so divided, in politics, and I’m actually surprised. I remember growing up and it being, you know, very easy to speak about if you’re a Democrat or Republican.”
Due to this immense rift between Democrats and Republicans, it’s difficult to simply discuss politics. Grahmann says, “My grandparents on my dad’s side live in Texas, and they’re very strongly Republican. And we don’t talk about politics at all when we’re over there, just to avoid that… awkwardness.” Politics have become so divisive that differing views can imply a difference in values. Consequently, not aligning with the beliefs of our parents could mean that we’ve rejected their values. In fact, a freshman at SHP said their parents “would be very surprised if I ever leaned the other way… it wouldn’t only be going against my family’s political views, it would be fully going against my family’s values.”
Given the great influence parents have on their children, they must give their children the space they need to develop their own beliefs — just as they guide their children to begin using their own money, getting jobs, and learning to drive without their parents. For example, an SHP parent said that she tries not to influence her children, and that she wants them to make their own decisions on their views politically; “to be independent thinkers, and know the facts, and make their own decisions.” Similarly, Brooke Soderbery ‘26 said, “I think [my parents] want me to come up with my own opinions. I think, at this point, I have come up with my own opinions, so it’s more a matter of just fully, further developing those; building your own beliefs.”
If children grow up simply mimicking their parents, when they turn 18, as many seniors already are, they won’t be ready to vote and contribute to the political system. Just as kids need to gain independence on all fronts, they need to learn how to make their own decisions. The responsibility goes both ways. It’s just as important for kids to conduct their own research and cultivate their ideas as it is for parents to give their children that freedom.
While parents will always shape the roots of their children’s political beliefs, it’s essential to allow space for disagreement and independent thought so young people can form their own values without feeling that the divergence of their beliefs means rejecting their parents.
