Socialization within the household and its effect on turnout in the Czech Republic

Household effects on electoral participation are understudied. We know that they exist (Buton, Lemercier, Mariot 2012; Bhatti, Hansen 2012; Partheymüller, Schmitt-Beck 2012), but we know very little about the mechanisms behind those effects. Beyond household homogeneity in terms of values and social status (pre-selection, household socialization), the emphasis is given on the mobilization (companion effects). In this paper, we utilise first wave of the Czech household panel to analyse household effects on turnout in the post-communist country. More specifically, we focus on the role of political socialization within the household. First, we establish the level of household effects on turnout, both on the spouses and children. Second, we explain part of those effects by social and attitudinal homogeneity of the households. Third, we use the information about the politicization of the family as an intervening variable to explain the different strength of household effects. Our research shows that household members have similar electoral participation not only because of self-selection and social and attitudinal homogeneity, but also because of socializing and mobilizing effects within households.