On the same page? Examining adolescents’ civic attitudes and the role of congruence in civic attitudes of parents, friends, and classmates

Civic attitudes are crucial for a well-functioning democracy. Research shows these attitudes are influenced by adolescents’ families and peers. However, little is known about the interplay between these socializing agents. This study examines the role of similarity between parents’, friends’, and classmates’ trust in groups, institutions, and sources of information and positive attitudes toward people with a migration background. A total of 540 eighth-grade students (M_age = 14.0) from 32 Dutch schools participated. Parents’ and classmates’ civic attitudes, but not friends’ attitudes, were positively related to adolescents’ attitudes regardless of the perceived quality of the relationship. The results support the congruency hypothesis, that more similarity in civic attitudes of meaningful others strengthens socialization effects. These insights deepen our understanding of adolescents’ civic attitudes.