Explaining the Relationship Between Class Position and Political Preferences: A Long-Term Panel Analysis of Intra-Generational Class Mobility. Issue 2 (22nd April 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Langsæther, Peter Egge; Evans, Geoffrey; O'Grady, Tom
• Is Part Of: British journal of political science. Volume 52:Issue 2(2022)
• Page Start: 958
• Page End: 967
• Publication Date: 2022-04-22
• Subjects: class mobility -- economic values -- identity -- social conservatism -- party choice -- self-interest -- political socialization; Political science -- Periodicals; 320.05
• DOI: 10.1017/S0007123420000599
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0007-1234

Abstract

Abstract: Past findings on the connection between class position and political preferences are overwhelmingly derived from cross-sectional studies, which provided a limited basis for inferring causality. This study uses long-term panel data on thousands of British respondents to measure the impact of intra-generational class mobility across a range of political identities and preferences. Upward class mobility leads to small increases in economic conservatism, but party choice, class identity and attitudes to non-economic issues do not change. This updating of economic values is much smaller than cross-sectional differences between classes. These results are consistent with the short-run effects of class mobility operating primarily through a limited economic self-interest mechanism. Beliefs that are plausibly unconnected to economics are unaffected. The overall association between class and a range of identities, opinions and preferences is therefore more likely to be caused by early life experiences and longer-term socialization than by the immediate material interests associated with jobs.