Political socialization in the family and young people's educational achievement and ambition

Using data from a large-scale survey of Norwegian youth, the study examines the relationships that the performance in key academic subjects and aiming for higher education have with political socialization at home. The more often adolescents aged 13-16 talk with parents about politics and social issues, the better their performance is and the more often they aim for higher education. These relationships survive controls for, inter alia, parental level of education and other socio-economic status indicators. The findings fit longstanding ideals in the philosophy of education. It is argued that a widened concept of 'home background' is needed in the sociology of education.