IntroductionIn politics, there are many factors that contribute to determining which issues an individual likes or dislikes and what an individual will use to choose their political candidates during election periods. But one particularly interesting thing that is decided upon is party identification. The question of what exactly influences an individual's party identification is one that many scholars and researchers ponder. The literature on this topic suggests that an individual's partisan identification is determined or influenced by four predominant and different factors. Some scholars believe that parental socialization is the deciding factor in how an individual will identify. Others see factors such as political issues and preferences or media/elite opinion as how a person identifies. While some scholars argue that it is a person's genes or genetics that determine how he or she identifies politically; it's just the way they were born. Regardless of different schools of thought, researchers continue to question and conduct studies to determine exactly what influences party identification. Through the analysis of the literature on these four schools of thought (parental socialization, issue and policy preference, media and elite opinion, and genes) I believe I am able to shed light on the question of what influences a person's party identification individual. Parental socialization The first school The element of thought that needs to be explored is the relationship between party identification and parental socialisation. In essence, this means that when an individual is born, he or she is most likely born into a family that has political views and some party identification. Through maturation in these families, individuals are directly affected and… middle of paper… in four different schools suggest explanations for the phenomenon that decides elections and helps fuel daily political debate. Whether it is parental socialization, political and issue preferences, media influence, or genes, the list of explanations is endless. Moving forward, one must ask: Are there more viable influences on party identification? Furthermore, are there certain factors that are known to cause individuals to question their party identification so strongly that they completely change the party with which they affiliate? After reviewing the literature in ten different sources, I believe that parental socialization is the most influential factor in an individual's party identification, but further research may suggest that another factor is more influential. With further research, the true factor influencing a person's party identification can be pinpointed.