This article discusses the concept, measurement, and processes by which individuals acquire political knowledge. We discuss, firstly, the debate concerning the concept and measurement of political knowledge in the empirical research. Next, we create indicators of the two main types of knowledge: factual information and conceptual knowledge. Finally we examine, through multivariate statistical analysis, the processes by which young people acquire the two types of knowledge.
Political knowledge; Political sophistication; Political socialization; The young; Political inequality
