Political Culture in Contemporary Britain

Abstract

Abstract This book examines what the British people and their politicians really think about the fundamentals of politics. Based on new and revealing survey data, it presents an analysis of British attitudes to civil, political, and social rights. The book uncovers two broad ‘macro-dimensions’ of political principle — liberty and equality — which underlie a large number of more specific principles and shape people’s responses to many practical issues. Controversially, it claims that commitments to liberty and equality tend to run together — only the least educated treat them as alternatives; left-wingers support both and right-wingers oppose both. It explores the influence of social background, personal experience, and the institutional setting on attitudes towards political principles, highlighting in particular age and the complex influences of education and religion. It also shows how arguments and propaganda combine with political principles and party loyalties to influence opinion on practical issues. The final chapter presents an overall model and quantifies the relative power of all these different influences.

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