While existing literature emphasize how party attachment is reinforced with age through repeated participation and vote choice, I argue that the economic context during an individual's first voting experience plays a critical role in shaping long-term partisan ties. This paper shows that coming of age during periods of economic hardship leaves a lasting impact on partisan identification (PID). Using unemployment rates as a proxy for government performance during formative political years, I analyze individuals born between 1945 and 2003 with data from the CSES, EES, and ESS.

The results reveal that those who came of age during economic turmoil are less likely to develop PID and, when they do, are less inclined to identify with the incumbent party in power during their formative years. To explore the mediating role of the act of voting and party choice, I leverage variation in electoral eligibility of equally aged individuals exposed to these poor-performing mandates. Findings suggest that eligibility during periods of economic instability fosters electoral volatility in youth, which persists over the life cycle. This research stresses the importance of context in early political experiences for the understanding of lifelong patterns of electoral behavior and partisan ties.