Introduction

The family is widely regarded as a socialising agent, and parents, in particular, are seen to play a pivotal role in providing their children with a framework for interpreting and navigating the social world. This period of primary socialisation then interacts with (or makes way for) secondary influences, such as peer groups and educational and occupational experiences (Bourdieu and Passeron, 1977). A shifting and kaleidoscopic mixture of instances, relationships and experiences therefore frame an individual's understandings of various aspects of civil society, as well as the values and practices that they adopt. Therefore, identifying or distilling the precise influence of parents, or indeed other relatives, on the sets of values and practices that an individual develops over time is far from straightforward. This chapter draws on survey, interview and family tree data to consider the range of influences on participant identities, values and practices. Following on from the points raised in Chapter 3, here, we draw out all of the things that might trouble or obfuscate the intergenerational sharing of values and practices.

Given well-publicised intergenerational rifts in political perspectives and the wide disparity in the circumstances and life chances of older and younger generations today, it is vitally important not to overstate the power of intergenerational influences and similarities (Brannen, 2014). Individuals may choose to adopt, ignore or rebel against their parents’ values and practices; for some, the influence of friendships and experiences outside of the family home may prove to be stronger influences on their orientations to civil society. The process of raising citizens is a precarious one.

Non-familial influences on civic engagement

We explore the uncertain business of raising citizens with reference to participant accounts of their civic values and practices in relation to their upbringing and family life. We investigate how the bringing together of two previously unconnected families through marriage or partnership is negotiated in relation to social and political perspectives, and we examine the role that in-laws and other relatives may play in shaping orientations to civil society. The chapter also discusses the possible consequences of the increasing geographical mobility and dispersal of some families for their opportunities to share and adapt civic values within the family network.