Influence of Family Role on Political Participation Intention among University Students in the State of Kuwait

Political socialisation has seemingly wrought significant changes in political attitudes and associated behavioral paradigms. This could be reflected in how the political inclination of the youngsters is normally perceived to be reflective to that of their parents/guardians. In the Kuwaiti context, there is minimal empirical knowledge since there are hardly any research and related studies exploring the causal mechanisms of how the political attitudes and behaviour of the younger generation is influenced by their parents. Therefore, this paper aimed at investigating how familial roles play an important role on the political participation intention among university students in Kuwait. The participation in the study consisted of 635 undergraduate students from both public and private higher educational institutions in the State of Kuwait. The findings derived upon a structural equation model (SEM) revealed that parental participation in politics had a direct effect on the younger generation. Besides, it is further considered that the intergeneral transmission of political thoughts and ideologies through parents is considered as a indirect effect on the younger generation via the political discussions conducted within family, the positive attitude about politics within family and the personal interest of the individual, respectively. To conclude, the intergenerational transmission and associated processes impacting the inclination of the younger generation to participate in the political process is significantly affected both directly and indirectly as a function of the political attitudes and environment within the family as a whole via process of family socialisation.