Family Influence and Political Socialization in Japan: Some Preliminary Findings in Comparative- Perspective* Archives

For some time i t was generally held by American s o c i a l s c i e n t i s t s t h a t i n the u n i t ed States the f a m i l y was normally the s i n g l e most Important agency of p o l i t i c a l s o c i a l i z a t i o n where c h i l d r e n are concerned and t h a t many p o l i t i c a l a t t i t u d e s and values tended t o be t r a n s m i t t e d .from one generation to another v i a the medium of the f a m i l y . 1 Recent research has expanded and r e f i n e d our knowledge i n p o l i t i c a l s o c i a l i z a t i o n and has questioned the yiew of f a m i l y i n f l u e n c e as e i t h e r too s i m p l i s t i c or misleading an explanation of the c a u s a l i t y i nvolved.^ Despite such reassessments, however, the weight of the c u r r e n t l y a v a i l a b l e evidence s t i l l favors the view t h a t i n the United States the f a m i l y , i f not predominant, i s s t i l l regarded as one of the more important agencies of p o l i t i c a l s o c i a l i z a t i o n and t h a t t h i s i s p a r t i c u l a r l y t r u e w i t h respect to such seminal t r a i t s as party i d e n t i f i c a t i o n on the p a r t of the c h i l d .