Thatcher’s Children, Blair’s Babies, Political Socialization and Trickle-down Value Change: An Age, Period and Cohort Analysis

To what extent are new generations ‘Thatcherite’? Using British Social Attitudes data for 1985–2012 and applying age-period-cohort analysis and generalized additive models, this article investigates whether Thatcher’s Children hold more right-authoritarian political values compared to other politica...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:British journal of political science 2019-01, Vol.49 (1), p.17-36
Main Authors: Grasso, Maria Teresa, Farrall, Stephen, Gray, Emily, Hay, Colin, Jennings, Will
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
Age groups
Attitudes
Authoritarianism
Children
Cohort analysis
Conservatism
Crime
Generations
Humanities and Social Sciences
Infants
Labor parties
Law enforcement
Liberalism
Libertarianism
Modernization
Neoliberalism
Political science
Political socialization
Politics
Populism
Public opinion
Redistribution
Right wing politics
Social attitudes
Socialization
Society
Thatcherism
Theory
Union membership
Values
Welfare
Young adults
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Summary:To what extent are new generations ‘Thatcherite’? Using British Social Attitudes data for 1985–2012 and applying age-period-cohort analysis and generalized additive models, this article investigates whether Thatcher’s Children hold more right-authoritarian political values compared to other political generations. The study further examines the extent to which the generation that came of age under New Labour – Blair’s Babies – shares these values. The findings for generation effects indicate that the later political generation is even more right-authoritarian, including with respect to attitudes to redistribution, welfare and crime. This view is supported by evidence of cohort effects. These results show that the legacy of Thatcherism for left-right and libertarian-authoritarian values is its long-term shaping of public opinion through political socialization.
ISSN:0007-1234
1469-2112
DOI:10.1017/S0007123416000375