189
JOURNAL OF YOUTH RESEARCHES
Political Socialization in
Youth: The Examination of The
Relationship Between Civic
Engagagement and Mass Media*
Copyright © 2018
Republic of Turkey Ministry of Youth and Sports
/
Journal of Youth Researches • April 2018 • 6(14) • 189-196
ISSN 2147-8473
Received
| 18 March 2018
Accepted
| 18 April 2018
A N A LY S I S / R E S E A R C H
E X T E N D E D A B S T R A C T
* This study is based on data of the writer’s doctoral dissertation research conducted under supervision of Prof. Dr. Nermin Çelen.
** Assistant Professor, Beykoz University, Psychology Department, İstanbul,
Petek Akman Özdemir**
SSocial, economic and cultural changes have significant influence on political and social
development of young people. It is important to examine political socialization in youth
since political and social values, attitudes and behaviors are shaped in this period of
life. In this study, political socialization of Turkish young people between the ages of 25
and 30 is investigated in line with the assumptions of political socialization approaches
(Hyman, 1959; Shah, McLeod & Lee, 2009). The relationship of civic engagement with fol-
lowing news via different types of mass media and using social media to express opinions
on social matters is examined.
Political socialization can be defined as a process of learning political system, values,
attitudes and participating in political culture. Besides family and school, mass media is
an important factor playing role in political socialization (Atkin & Gantz, 1978; Chaffee,
Ward & Tipton, 1970; McDevitt & Chaffee, 2002; Niemi & Hepburn, 1995). These factors
influence political socialization of young people but young people are not considered as
passive but rather active in their own political socialization processes (McDevitt & Chaf-
