Date of Award
4-2020
Document Type
Thesis
Department
Political Science
First Advisor
Patrick Donnay
Abstract
Throughout modern history, people have sought to understand the causes behind political identities and how they’re formed. These factors began to be known as the agents of political socialization. As these factors shift, so do political beliefs. But how do these factors directly apply to university students? To answer this question, I studied how these factors applied to university students as well as new factors specific to their time in university, such as the control of the institution (whether it’s private or public), as well as the effect of campus culture and climates on their ideology, and what role extracurriculars played in this. To examine these, I used data from the Higher Education Research Institution, from a survey they conducted for seniors in college. The results varied tremendously and didn’t pinpoint a clear answer as to why ideology shifts during college. This study emphasizes the need for more exploration into this topic.
Recommended Citation
Frenz, Samantha, "Change in Partisan Ideology Among University Students" (2020). Political Science Theses and Capstones. 39.
https://pines.bemidjistate.edu/capstone-polisci/39
