Self-Esteem and the Development of Partisan Identity

Why do young people choose to identify with a political party? While existing accounts emphasize the importance of political socialization, we propose that young people’s self-perceptions also influence the adoption of partisan identities. Using survey data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Y...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Political research quarterly 2020-09, Vol.73 (3), p.609-622
Main Authors: Wolak, Jennifer, Stapleton, Carey E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adoption
Elections
Identity
Inheritance
Inheritance and succession
National elections
Partisanship
Perceptions
Political parties
Political socialization
Polls & surveys
Self esteem
Young adults
Youth
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Summary:Why do young people choose to identify with a political party? While existing accounts emphasize the importance of political socialization, we propose that young people’s self-perceptions also influence the adoption of partisan identities. Using survey data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, we show that self-esteem plays an important role in the development of partisanship among young people, where those with higher self-esteem are more likely to adopt a partisan identity than those with low self-esteem. Using responses from the 2012–2013 American National Election Study, we further show that the effects of self-esteem are concentrated among young adults, promoting the adoption of partisan identities during one’s impressionable years. By focusing on the inheritance of partisanship from one’s parents, scholars have underestimated the importance of young people’s traits in influencing the development of partisan identities.
ISSN:1065-9129
1938-274X
DOI:10.1177/1065912919851556