Without a doubt the Harry Potter series has had
a powerful effect on the Millennial Generation. Millions
of children grew up immersed in the world of the boy
wizard—reading the books, dressing up in costume to
attend midnight book release parties, watching the
movies, and even creating and competing in Quidditch
tournaments. Beyond what we know of the popularity of
the series, however, nothing has been published on the
question of the Harry Potter effect on the politics of
its young readers—now voting adults.
Looking to engage his students in
exploring the connections between political opinion and
popular culture, Anthony Gierzynski conducted a national
survey of more than 1,100 college students and examined
these connections as well as Millennial politics.
Harry Potter and the Millennials
tells the fascinating story of how the team designed the
study and gathered results, explains what conclusions
can and cannot be drawn, and reveals the challenges
social scientists face in studying political science,
sociology, and mass communication.
Specifically, the evidence indicates
that Harry Potter fans are more open to diversity and
are more politically tolerant than nonfans; fans are
also less authoritarian, less likely to support the use
of deadly force or torture, more politically active, and
more likely to have had a negative view of the Bush
administration. Furthermore, these differences do not
disappear when controlling for other important
predictors of these perspectives, lending support to the
argument that the series indeed had an independent
effect on its audience. In this clear and cogent
account, Gierzynski demonstrates how social scientists
develop and design research questions and studies. An
appendix of questions and resulting data, including
graphs and diagrams, will appeal especially to
instructors seeking to explain the nuances of political
socialization.
Gierzynski’s
captivating analysis of media’s impact on political
views, combined with the enjoyable Potter story details,
makes for an irresistible project that social scientists
can use to work a little magic in their
classrooms.