Class Attitudes On Political Questions example essay topic

Class, Socialization, and Politics Elections are at the core of the American political system. They are the way we choose our government, the source of government authority, and a means by which the people can influence public policy. For most Americans, voting is the only form of political participation. Essential questions to ask concerning these issues are: Who votes and why?

What influences people to become voters? And what influences how they vote? It is important to approach these issues from a sociological standpoint addressing such matters as socialization and social stratification. Socialization is a gradual process that takes place as we grow up. It is the process that aids in developing attitudes and opinions that allow us get along within a society.

These beliefs affect the political views we hold later in life. Through social agencies such as family, schools, peers, and media we become aware of social rules and develop a social identity. (Introduction to Sociology Pg. 96) A product of this development is political socialization, which is the process of learning political attitudes and behaviors. The idea of political socialization helps in providing the answers to the questions concerning who votes. It aids in explaining how and why people participate in politics. The strongest agent in political socialization is the family.

What this means is that most children adopt beliefs similar to those held by their parents. Therefore most people will believe in and vote for issues that are important to members of their family's. The extent to which an individual is involved in the political process is shaped by his or her family's level of involvement. For example, a child is less likely to vote if they are raised by parents who don't regularly go to the polls on Election Day. Children of course, don't always copy their parents' political learning's, but are often heavily influenced by them. As a result, most people end up favoring the political party that their parents generally identify with.

Social Characteristics also affect how an individual will participate in politics. Whether a person is young or old, black or white, rich or poor, northerner or southerner will have a heavy impact on his or her political opinions and behavior. Class may be just as important in shaping people's political opinions and behaviors. The term social class refers to one of the systems of structured inequalities that exist among different groups within a society. It is the most important concept for analyzing social stratification in a modern society. (Introduction to Sociology Pg. 222) Within this class system are three broad overlapping categories: a working class, a middle class, and an upper class.

People are placed within these categories based on their occupation, income, and wealth. The working class receives the lowest income and fills blue-collar jobs in factories and farms, as well as white-collar positions like clerical and secretarial jobs in offices. The middle class consists of professionals like teachers, engineers, small business people, and skilled workers. The upper class, often called the elite or ruling class is composed of those who run our major economic and political institutions and receive the highest earnings for doing so. Class as reflected in education, income, and occupation, does influence people's attitudes on a variety of issues.

People in the working class tend to be liberal in wanting greater economic equality and more programs dealing with social welfare. This liberalism on economic issues contrasts strongly with their ideas on civil liberties. Members of the middle class tend to be more conservative in their economic views and more liberal on issues such as free speech and respect for civil rights. Therefore, class attitudes on political questions are both liberal and conservative.

The problem with figuring out how these various characteristics that divide the population influences a person's political behavior is that they often overlap. To say that blacks are less likely to vote than whites may be true, but this infers that race alone is the key issue. Furthermore, poorer people, those with less education, and those who feel that they have a less significant affect on their government also are less likely to vote. All of these categories include the majority of blacks. So, even though the statement that blacks vote less than white is true, it may conceal as much as it reveals. The issue of whether blacks with a higher income or education level also vote less must be taken into concern.

The fact is that they don't. Voter turnouts among blacks who belong to the middle and upper classes are much higher which suggests that race is not as important in voter turnout as class. Class differences in voting can reflect differences in economic security. People with lower incomes face greater challenges when paying bills and finding jobs that have high enough wages to support their needs. This may lead them to view politics as a luxury they can't afford to get too involved in. When considering political socialization, the class system may also have an effect on an individual's attitude towards politics.

Children of working class parents of poor education are more regularly brought up to believe that they can have little influence on politics. As a result they end up being both more resentful and more passive towards politics. Contrary to this, children of middle and upper class parents are brought up to have a much higher regard for politics and are taught to value and participate in the political process. They are more positively encouraged to believe that the political system will respond favorably to their involvement.

The difficulty of answering the question of why people don't vote should be clear. Turnout varies depending on education, race, gender, and age, and it changes over time. History has shown that nonvoters most often come from the less educated, nonwhite, rural, southern, poor, blue-collar, or youth of the American population. Conversely, voters most often come from the white, middle-aged, college-educated, urban or suburban, affluent, white-collar groups. Generally people with the biggest stake in society are the ones most likely to go to the polls. In a recent study conducted by myself, I interviewed numerous people in and around Philadelphia concerning the issue of social influences on voting.

I targeted people I felt would be representative of both voters and non-voters. I asked questions that I felt would help give insight into each individual's political position. Natasha Mell-Taylor is a twenty-year-old white female from the Northern New Jersey town of Maplewood who currently attends Moore College of Art in Philadelphia. When asked about what influences helped shape her political opinions she was apprehensive in stating that her parents held the greatest bearing on her beliefs simply because she feels that it is important for everyone to develop their own independent opinions based on what information they receive.

However, when comparing answers to questions about her parents beliefs and her own, there seemed to be a stark similarity to the way they both feel. Through these findings, I felt confident in laying claim to the idea that her parents' influence undeniably shaped her attitudes. Ms. Mell-Taylor's disposition concerning politics is very liberal minded. Just like her parents, she identifies quite strongly with the open-minded democratic side of politics. She was brought up in a moderately sized suburban town 20 miles west of New York City in an upper middle class household. She has never felt disadvantaged and has all the typical political viewpoints of those in her strata.

She explained that her parents have always been very politically aware and have openly spoken about political issues all her life. This has of course led to her becoming very politically aware which supports the theory of parents being a very strong agent of socialization. She feels that it is both her duty and her right to be aware of and participate in the American political system. Because of how she was raised and the social group she belongs to, politics plays a very important role in her life. A counter example to Ms. Mell-Taylor's outlook on politics is that of Jose Padilla. Mr. Padilla, a 23-year-old short order cook at one of Philadelphia's many downtown restaurants has never really taken the time to familiarize himself with the workings of the American political system.

He has never voted in an election and could not name the democratic candidate who will oppose our current republican president in the upcoming election. Jose has lived in Philadelphia all his life and chosen a path that led away from college after he graduated from high school. He said that college was never an important issue in his household. He stated that neither of his parents received college degrees and have turned out just fine. In his eyes, he sees them as successful simply because they have been able to support a family and have survived thus far with only a high school diploma. While growing up, he remembers his parents voting, and even recalls standing in the voting booth with his mother on rare occasion.

Nevertheless, he can't recall politics as being a central issue of concern in his household. His family definitely falls into the category of working class and has not received more than a general education. He reinforced the theory of socialization by putting forth the notion that he probably doesn't care much for politics simply because of his parents' apathetic views. Although he claims to know virtually nothing about politics, he believes that his involvement won't do much to improve his situation so why waste so much time and energy investing himself in the system.

Mr. Padilla is a perfect example of how the typical lower class citizen feels about politics. He simply sees his own involvement as unnecessary and doesn't count on the government for representation. The system of social class and the notion of socialization play an incredibly important role in determining how each and every individual perceives politics. There is a stark contrast of class that divides the beliefs of the American people. The middle class is the great dividing line that separates apathy from interest.

Thos who fall below the rank of middle class tend to have a much lower level of involvement in politics while those who rise above the line feel quite the opposite. Granted there will be deviant cases that can on some level disprove these theories. But on the grand scale, class remains as the supreme cause of such severe division among the attitudes expressed by the American people.

Bibliography

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Bailey Jr., Harry A. and Katz, Ellis. Ethnic Group Politics. Columbus, Ohio: Charles E. Merrill Publishing Company, 1969.
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