Political Socialisation and Electoral Participation over the Life Course. Class, Family, and the Reproduction of Inequality

Abstract

Declining turnout among less advantaged citizens has deepened the stratification of political participation in Britain, raising concerns about democratic inclusion. Political inequality is shaped not only by socioeconomic background but also by family political behaviour in early life, which leaves lasting imprints over the life course. Using a novel intergenerational design, this paper links children to their parents in the BHPS and the UKHLS (1995-2022). By observing parents’ political behaviour and socioeconomic position during their children’s formative years (ages 15-18), this design tracks how early-life contexts shape participation over the life course, avoiding recall bias.The results are three-fold. First, parental political behaviour has an enduring influence on electoral participation, showing how socioeconomic advantage translates into higher participation while also shaping the extent to which class background influences political engagement. Second, middle-class families show sharper divides in participation depending on parental behaviour, suggesting that family dynamics can reinforce inequality. Third, macro-political context matters. Cohorts socialised during periods of heightened class polarisation in participation, notably after the 2005 General Election, show more persistent class-based participation gaps. 

Bio

Giacomo Melli is a DPhil (PhD) researcher in Sociology at the University of Oxford, affiliated with Trinity College. His work brings together the study of social stratification and comparative political sociology to understand how inequalities shape political attitudes, engagement, and participation across contemporary democracies. He also investigates how socio-economic inequalities are transmitted across generations and unfold over the life course, reproducing persistent gaps in political participation. His work has been published in the British Journal of Sociology, Social Science Research, Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, and the Journal of European Public Policy, among others. 

Discussant 

Davide Gritti, Università di Trento

Registration 

Send an e-mail to csis@unitn.it by 19 November 2025, 23:59.