Session 8: Determinants of Political Socialisation

Political socialisation is the process through which individuals gain political ideas and values. Individuals are conditioned to these values and ideas through the institutions of family, education, religion, media and the government.

The family can condition an individual to political ideas through simple ‘drawing room discussions’ or on deeper alliances, such as the biradri system as seen in Pakistan. These biradri systems rely on extended families and affiliations to political families, more dominant in the rural areas. These ideas and filial associations wield enough power to affect voting behaviour of individuals.

The education systems also have a substantial hand in affecting a person’s decisions regarding the political arena. Education systems that are considered ‘liberal’ tend to raise citizens that are more likely to challenge authority compared with those education systems considered orthodox and rigid.

Religion can be used as a political tool to influence the political mindset of individuals in the name of religious duty. The success of the Muslim League in the 1940s owes primarily to the religious rhetoric and mobilization of the Pir network found in Punjab. Political figures such as Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Yusuf Raza Gillani still use their pir networks to influence voting behaviour. These pirs, considered religious leaders also gain a lot of political support in the name of religion, comparatively more so in rural compared to urban areas.

The media is an effective apparatus to sway people to a particular political ideology or value by explaining events from a specific perspective. This can be used by the government to condition people to suit their own interests. In the recent elections, we saw different parities marketed their political campaigns and party ideologies on national television.

In Pakistan, these factors can be divided into two categories in terms of their influence: rural and urban. Rural areas are more influenced by family and religion and as the urban culture gains more access to education and media, their political socialisation is affected by those two determinants. Globally, however, as technological progress rapidly advances and media consumes every aspect of civil life, it is becoming the most dominant determinant of political socialisation.

Political socialisation is a process that is taking place in classrooms, on social networking sites, in religious places and at homes. Individuals might not always be aware of the numerous factors that determine their political decisions but all the institutions mentioned above are an active part of the political socialisation machinery.