ABSTRACT
At least since V.O. Key penned the seminal Southern Politics, scholars have recognized the role that neighborhood context plays in political behavior (Key 1949). Similarly, public health scholars have recognized the growing role that neighborhood context plays in morbidity-whether talking about asthma, sexually transmitted diseases, or even stress (Brown, Mayer, and Zavestoski 2003; Diaz, Ayala, and Bein 2001; Fullilove 2003; Harrell 2000). Scholars have also begun to revisit some of the central findings of the political socialization literature (Gimpel, Lay, and Schuknecht 2003; Gimpel, Lay, and Schuknecht 2002). But very rarely have scholars attempted to look at links between youth political socialization, context, and health. We argue that one of the key variables that wed the politics of hyper-segregated urban space to the public health of those spaces is risk perception. Perceptions of risk (youth perceptions in particular) make citizens less likely to believe they have the capacity to change the world around them, less likely to trust authority figures, and as a result, more likely to become vulnerable to health issues. Baltimore is a city characterized by its large black population and its high crime rate. Indeed, two of the most riveting crime dramas of the last ten years (The Wire and Homicide) were set (and filmed) in Baltimore. It is also known as having one of the highest HIV/AIDS rates in the country. In many ways it represents the perfect site to study the intersection between health, context, and political attitudes. In this paper we use qualitative data collected for the purpose of grappling with the high incidence of HIV/AIDS among youth, in order to examine the theoretical relationship between context, risk perception, youth political socialization, and public health.
