Objective: To examine the role of a teenager’s social network, including his parents, friends, and teachers, in the development of political interest.

Design: 3-year panel study.

Subjects and Setting: 499 teenagers, attending 2 private and 2 public high schools in Montreal, Quebec, and who completed surveys in each of their last 3 years of high school.  Most participants were age 14-15 years at first survey and 16-17 years at last survey.  80% of possible respondents (746 students) completed the first year survey.

Intervention(s): N/A

Outcome Measures: Level of political interest, including interest in local, national, and international politics.

Results: In each survey year, students whose parents and friends discussed politics were significantly more likely to express an interest in politics, although this relationship was stronger with parents than with friends.  Teachers’ discussion of politics was significantly related to political interest only in the second year of the survey.  Students whose social networks included political discussion were also more likely to report increases in political interest over time.

Conclusion: The presence of political discussions within Quebec teenagers’ social networks was significantly related to the teenagers’ interest in politics.   © Center on Media and Child Healthreturn