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Inheritance and the Dynamics of Party Identification

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  • Kroh, Martin
  • Selb, Peter

Abstract

Extensive research efforts notwithstanding, scholars continue to disagree on the nature and meaning of party identification. Traditionalists conceive of partisanship as a largely affective attachment to a political party that emerges in childhood through parental influences and tends to persist throughout life. The revisionist conception of partisanship is that of a running tally of party utilities that is updated based on current party performance. We attempt to reconcile both schools of thought in an individual difference perspective, showing that the party loyalties acquired through parental influences confirm better the traditional view, while the attachments of individuals who did not inherit their parents' party loyalties exhibit features more closely matching the revisionist predictions. The analysis is facilitated by uniquely suited longitudinal household data emanating from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study that allow to study party identifications of young adults and their parents on an annual basis from 1984 to 2007.

Suggested Citation

  • Kroh, Martin & Selb, Peter, 2009. "Inheritance and the Dynamics of Party Identification," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 31(4), pages 559-574.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:espost:74463
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kroh, Martin, 2014. "Growth trajectories in the strength of party identification: The legacy of autocratic regimes," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 33, pages 90-101.
    2. Emmanuel Kwesi Asiedu & Christiana Oduro Domfeh & Edmond Agyeman Amoako, 2023. "Political Identity Negotiation of Young Electorates in Ghanaian Colleges of Education," European Journal of Law and Political Science, European Open Science, vol. 2(3), pages 23-32, April.
    3. Alexandra Avdeenko & Thomas Siedler, 2017. "Intergenerational Correlations of Extreme Right‐Wing Party Preferences and Attitudes toward Immigration," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 119(3), pages 768-800, July.
    4. Simona Guglielmi & Nicola Maggini, 2025. "Addressing Migrant Inequality in Youth Political Engagement: The Role of Parental Influences," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 13.
    5. Anne-Sophie Neyra, 2022. "“Polish People Are Starting to Hate Polish People”—Uncovering Emergent Patterns of Electoral Hostility in Post-Communist Europe," Societies, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-26, November.
    6. Kroh, Martin, 2012. "Die abnehmende Bedeutung des Elternhauses: Intergenerationale Übertragung von Parteibindungen in Deutschland 1984 bis 2010," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, pages 203-226.
    7. Anja Neundorf & Kaat Smets & Gema M. García-Albacete, 2014. "Homemade Citizens: The Development of Political Interest during Adolescence and Young Adulthood," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 693, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).

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