Political socialization may be defined as the process through which young people become aware of how power is distributed in society and acquire their orientations and patterns of behavior as citizens. The outcome of the process, which takes place in both formal and informal ways, will vary according to a number of factors and may lead, on one end of the scale, to an individual who is highly active in community matters or, on the other end, to an individual who is apathetic. Within those groups, individuals will differ in degrees of participation or apathy, in motivations underlying their stances, and also in degrees of allegiance or hostility toward the structures and ideals of the society in which they live.

A narrow interpretation of the process and the outcome might define political socialization within the parameters of knowledge of party politics and support of particular political ideologies within a given community. A broader interpretation, as is adopted in the present volume (see the Introduction, this volume), views political socialization as a process dependent not only on an awareness of matters political, but also on an awareness of how one's particular society deals with issues of power as related to gender, ethnicity, and religious affiliation. The process and outcome for young people will also be dependent on the views of significant individuals in their lives.