The Political Socialization of University Students: A Case Study of the University of Dhaka

Political socialization is required in order to develop a civic culture among the citizens and instill into youths a cognitive, affective, and evaluative orientation towards the political objects and leaders of any state. This study aims to explore the nature of the political socialization of students at the University of Dhaka. In order to collect the primary data, 400 students from four faculties of the University of Dhaka were surveyed purposively. The study argues that the students at the University of Dhaka are politically socialized, although their degree of political socialization varies among the students according to whether their educational background is in the arts, social sciences, science, or business. Of all the agents, the media impacts the most on the process of students’ political socialization. The study found that most of the students at this university possess the cognitive, affective, and evaluative capacities to understand political issues and objectives. The media, their family, and the university play prominent roles in developing the students’ attitudes and knowledge about political objects and issues. The findings indicate that the media play the most influential role in generating cognitive, affective, and evaluative attitudes and orientations towards the political leaders and political institutions.