Social Structure and Citizenship: Examining the Impacts of Social Setting, Network Heterogeneity, and Informational Variables on Political Participation (original) (raw)

In this study, we develop a model of the interplay between sociostructural determinants of an individual's discussion behavior, such as the setting of primary discussion networks (work, church, and volunteer groups) and the nature of discussion (i.e., level of exposure to non-like-minded ideas), and individual-level outcomes, such as hard news media use, political knowledge, and participation in political processes. In doing so, we synthesize many of the different and sometimes competing models that political communication scholars have used to examine the link between more macroscopic sociological variables and the individual-level behaviors that political scientists often focus on. Dietram A. Scheufele et al. Scholars in disciplines such as sociology, political science, and communication have long been aware that social networks help maintain and promote an active citizenry (e.g., . These studies share the common theme that individual-level variables alone are insufficient for explaining political behavior, and that interactions within and across different types of community settings can be important catalysts for civic action. Much of the research in this area, however, remains somewhat speculative with respect to how social-level variables, such as social networks, influence participation in political processes. , for example, suggest that social settings and associations serve largely as networks of recruitment for other political activities. The question of how these networks of recruitment work, that is, of how or why social networks are linked to individual involvement in politics, unfortunately remains unanswered.