Parental Political Engagement and Institutional Investment

• In Event: Racial Politics and Political Socialization

Abstract

This project examines the relationship between institutional support within educational agencies, and subsequent political engagement of Bay Area residents. We argue that when community residents, in particular parents, feel that institutions invest in them, their children and their families, the effects become reciprocal and result in increased overall civic and political engagement. Moreover, historical inequities in racial minority communities have resulted in underfunded or poor quality public, social service, and educational agencies. Yet, many of these institutions provide a ready-made on-ramp to engagement by facilitating resident investment and growth. We use a multiracial Bay area sample to examine the intersection of these residents with educational institutions specifically. We examine whether institutional support for children, like Migrant or ESL support programs, influences parental expectations and investments in community and political activism. We posit that parental investment is cumulative, resulting in civic and political engagement rooted in localized experiences in educational institutions. We model the effect of this institutional investment on political engagement, and preliminary findings indicate that there are indeed positive and measurable effects. Moreover, it is not the parental status that matters, but rather perceptions and investment of the parent in both the child and educational institution that drives engagement. These findings are an important contribution to understanding how to citizens perceive and respond to the community institutions, and the symbiotic relationship many citizens hold to such institutions within their communities.

Authors

• Marcela García-Castañon, San Francisco State University

• Angel Luis Molina, Arizona State University