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Abstract
Kevin Munger's Generation Gap: Why the Baby Boomers Still Dominate American Politics and Culture is the latest addition in a growing collection of analyses that attempt to evaluate the impact of millennials and Generation Z on the body politic. Combining a review of cultural trends, election statistics, news consumption patterns, and unique survey data, Munger argues that baby boomer political dominance is perched to run headlong into younger, tech-savvy cohorts who have the potential—but not yet the power—to replace them. Munger calls attention to the ways in which the political system has favored boomer issues and concerns, highlighting how the ensuing public policies reward the older generation and undermine the collective economic fortune of today's youth. This review discusses the history of generational research as well as recent work about today's younger cohorts to provide context for understanding both the strengths and shortcomings of Generation Gap. The field is richer with Munger's contribution, but many critical questions remain.

Following an explanation of "generation" in political science & other research, the role of Generation X in the 2000 US presidential elections is considered. Efforts to quicken youth political engagement & capture their affiliation are related, & a comparison of this youth cohort to past cohorts in terms of participation & voting behavior is provided. It is determined that attempts to engage Generation X fell short of goals to reverse traditional electoral apathy, ignorance, & voter turnout. The possibility of a Generation X agenda is addressed in the context of the latter issue, & reasons behind estimates of increased Xer voter turnout are pondered. The implications of the 2000 elections for a true generational identity among Xers are briefly addressed. 4 Figures. J. Zendejas

Intergenerational political socialization is alive and well in the polarized American polity. But, by what mechanism do parental views transmit to children? We develop a theory ( dyadic social learning theory) which posits the importance of dyadic familial communication in facilitating attitudinal concordance between parents and children. Using original survey data of 1,048 dyadic pairs of American parents and middle school-aged children, we develop a novel measure of political perception that combines the perceptive accuracy of parents with the perceptive accuracy of their children. This measure of parent-child alignment, which we argue signals quality communication in families, is a powerful determinant of parent-child congruence on political views and emotions, particularly polarization. When a dyadic pair accurately perceives each other politically, the likelihood of congruent views and shared polarization increases. This research has implications for how we understand political transference of polarized views, and for broader theories of how children are socialized into the political world. It also suggests that solutions to polarization will have to address the role of parents in initiating polarization.