Question

Bob is an 18-year-old student. His parents are both registered voters and members of the Democratic Party. Their ideological identification is center-left, and they vote in nearly every election.
a) Describe why Bob's voting behavior will likely mirror that of his parents.

b) In the context of the scenario, explain why Bob's ideological preferences may shift over time.

c) In the context of the scenario, explain how Bob's completion of a college degree may influence his voting preferences.

Answer 1

a) Describe why Bob's voting behavior will likely mirror that of his parents.

For most people, the ideologies that they have during adolescents will most likely come from the observation of the behavior that displayed by the people closest to them.

In this case, Bob will most likely observe how their parents view a certain issue and being taught about the "correct" way of perceive things by his parents. This made his political affiliation will most likely mirror his parents.

b) In the context of the scenario, explain why Bob's ideological preferences may shift over time.

Ideological preferences can shift if that people spent their time observing other people with different ideological preferences.

For example, let's say Bob spent his time in college and most of his friends believe in conservative values. After spending enough time, Bob could experience a shift in principles and start mirroring the value that's held by his closes friend.

c) In the context of the scenario, explain how Bob's completion of a college degree may influence his voting preferences.

College tend to teach the students how to observe an issue at a national scale and analyze the proper solution to those issue. The information that they can use tend to be backed by years of research handled by experts at the top of their field.

This might shift his voting preference to the political candidates that relied on scientific evidence to address each issues rather than blatant ideology.