2009/04/13 by Mark Elchardus, Bram Spruyt · 62 citations
Psychology · Social Sciences · #American political science #Association (psychology) #Computer science #Discipline #Higher Education Research Studies #Panel data #Political science #Political socialization #Politics #Psychology #Selection (genetic algorithm) #Social and Cultural Dynamics #Social and Intergroup Psychology #Social psychology #Social science #Socialization #Sociology #Test (biology)
paper · doi:10.1111/j.1540-6237.2009.00626.x
published in Social Science Quarterly 90(2), 446-460 (Wiley)
openalex publication_date 2009/04/13 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22
Objective. Using cross‐sectional and panel data, this article estimates to what extent the association between students' choice of academic discipline and their sociopolitical attitudes is due to socialization and selection effects. Methods. This is done on the basis of seven incoming cohorts of students and one panel of students. Changes in the panel are controlled for contextual influences by comparing them to a control group. Results. Both selection and socialization effects are observed. The first are, however, much stronger than the second. Conclusions. Although the literature, and particularly the more popular literature, highlights socialization effects, these turn out to be very modest. Future research should address the questions of how and why students select academic disciplines in a way that establishes strong relations between those disciplines and their sociopolitical attitudes.