IS BLOOD THICKER THAN WATER? Comparing Swedish Voters’ Ideological Similarity with Their Family and Friends

Abstract

This study investigates the outcomes of political socialisation by examining ideological alignment between Swedish voters and their family and friends. While traditional theories have emphasised the family as the primary agent of political socialisation, recent evidence suggests that friends may play a more prominent role in this process. To assess the relative role of each agent, the analysis uses political homogeneity as a measure for influence, drawing on data from the 2022 Swedish National Election Study. Through a series of linear regressions, applied across the full sample and within specific subgroups, overall ideological similarity with voters is anticipated, along with stronger similarity for friends. As a main finding, both family and friends demonstrate ideological alignment with voters, however, disentangling the two groups proved challenging due to the indirect interaction between them. The study contributes to the political socialisation literature, not only by illustrating voters’ political homogeneity in relation to family and friends, but also offering several methodological considerations for future research.