Young Voices: How Kids Develop Political Identities (2024-2025)
The Young Voices project examined how children begin to form political identities by tracking 10- to 12-year-olds in North Carolina, and their parents during the 2024 U.S. elections. The team sought to understand when and how youth develop political attitudes, what influences shape them and how those attitudes may change over time. Researchers considered multiple factors, including parental influence, peer groups, schools, religion, socioeconomic environment and individual differences such as social identity, values and personality traits.
Team members collected survey responses from about 200 children and at least one of their parents in the Triangle area, then conducted follow-up interviews with a subset of families to gain deeper insight into household political discussions and belief formation. Students also received training in survey design, interviewing, and data analysis in R, applying these skills to generate and investigate their own research questions. The findings laid groundwork for a long-term study of political development from childhood into early adulthood, creating one of the most comprehensive portraits of youth political socialization to date.
Timing
Fall 2024 – Spring 2025
Team Outputs
Young Voices: The Political Worldviews of American Children (Poster presentation at the Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Showcase, April 16, 2025)
This Team in the News
A New Study Asks: How Do Kids Figure out Where They Stand Politically?