Is there a trend between social class upbringing and political views?

Poll

Which of the following best describes you?

I have a theory that children who were brought up in upper middle class families or upper class families would be more right wing than children brought up in working class families.

What do you think?

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 1

Arketec

I think you're right. The working classes are traditionally left wing the middle classes swing from left to right and the upper classes are traditionally right wing.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 2

Rakas21

Original post by Madeline_H95

The poll is flawed in the sense that you don't discriminate between social and economic views.

As for your point this was historically very true however class political realignment occurred in the 70's such that in 1987 Thatcher got 45% of C1 votes (Cameron also got a 39% plurality).

I myself am part of the underclass (parents long term unemployed) but am a man of the economic right.

These days its truer to say that the unemployed are either devoutly Labour or don't vote, the upper classes are devoutly Conservative but that both the middle and working classes are floaters within the Thatcherite consensus.

Reply 3

Mackay

I think the vast majority of this country are middle-class and anybody who says they aren't is just denying facts.

Reply 4

Gordon1985

Original post by Madeline_H95

Are you kidding? This is probably the most established 'theory' in politics.

Reply 5

Miss Maddie

Original post by Gordon1985

Are you kidding? This is probably the most established 'theory' in politics.

I think I may try and get an investigation done to fully explore why..

Reply 6

Gordon1985

Original post by Madeline_H95

I think I may try and get an investigation done to fully explore why..

Are you being serious?

Reply 7

Miss Maddie

Original post by Gordon1985

Are you being serious?

Well yeah because we all have the reasons along wanting to retain wealth, less taxes, liking status and inheritence but even within the individual classes there are examples of people who don't conform to the expected view so why is that? Why is it some people in the lower middle classes who have a little money to spend on luxuries usually don't mind socialist ideas but middle middle-class people who have that little extra suddenly seem to become more capitalist and in it for themselves but the difference in wealth between them is actualy quite small? I think it runs deeper than what we all initially think are the reasons.

Reply 8

dead101

Original post by Mackay

I think the vast majority of this country are middle-class and anybody who says they aren't is just denying facts.

lmao good one

Reply 9

Huskaris

People develop their political views in the first 16-18 years of their life, depending on their surroundings/parents/teachers, and then hold onto them and shout everyone else down for the rest of their life.

That's about 99% of people in the UK. Most people (especially labour voters) will doggedly vote for the same party no matter what.

Reply 10

viddy9

I'm lower middle class and I'd describe myself, ideologically, as a libertarian socialist, if anything, but I hold certain views that the Right predominantly hold and I'm not as anti-authoritarian as many left-libertarians either.

Reply 11

Gordon1985

Original post by Madeline_H95

Looking at individuals is tricky because there are a lot of factors. However, if you look at the big picture, very clear patterns will emerge. The more money someone has, the more likely to be economically right wing someone is. Socially right and left are different and more complicated.

Reply 12

Moosferatu

My parents are ex mill workers (with one as brief few years as a tradesman before an industrial accident) who now work in average-paid service industries. Both sides of family a mixture of businessmen and factory/skilled workers. Probably "respectable" working class as the old saying goes. And I usually find myself in ideals aligning with old Labour. Although would probably feel more chilled with a centre government (even centre-right) that was committed to social justice and not these dogmatic neoliberal stooges for hire.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 13

ChaoticButterfly

Everyone and their dog is a thatcherite now.

Reply 14

RocketCiaranJ

Original post by Arketec

I think you're right. The working classes are traditionally left wing the middle classes swing from left to right and the upper classes are traditionally right wing.

Although this is partly true, the upper class also gains a greater level and standard of education; allowing them to think independent of what they have been taught, and therefore should not conform to expectations and stereotypes that are attributed to their class.

Reply 15

Rakas21

Original post by Madeline_H95

As I mentioned in my post, both the working and middle classes are floaters within the Thatcherite consensus. There is general support amongst both for welfare cuts and lower taxes but equally an attachment to the NHS and taxing the rich and big business to a modest level (but not to the point of France).

The working and middle classes have voted in unison since at least 83 indicating general support for what I'd call soft Tory policies.

Original post by Huskaris

I'm actually not sure who has influenced my economic views and suspect its solely a reaction to my background.

My parents are both unemployed and Old Labour types (never vote Labour though because of what the unions did in the 70's and early 80's). My views however are strongly of the right when it comes to economics and that I think is a mixture of personality and background in that I'm driven to aspire and am very much a have your cake and eat it person, I'm also absurdly optimistic.

Reply 16

Snagprophet

I'm not entirely sure what qualifies class at all, apart from the obvious extreme cases i.e. accents. What is the wealth needed to be middle class verses working class? What sort of house? These are the historical signifiers to me. Perhaps a really large kitchen? Having a four slot toaster? Having a breadmaker?

I live on the end of a terrace but everything is fairly spaced out, I don't live in a big town and we have a larger garden than our neighbours due to our garage next to ours (whereas the other houses in the terraces next to us have their garages in a separate area next to each other).

It seems like a small house compared to what I'd typically associate with middle class, but then you get those really cramped houses in the middle of the large-ish town/city which you can't say isn't working class, but where does this leave me? Are they lower working and I'm upper working? Does middle class mean that your house has to be worth over £500,000 depending on how far from London you are?

Then there's the other complication that people who go to university are supposedly middle class. I'm incredibly confused by all this categorising of class.

I think there are certain attitudes which could be related to fanboyism of consoles, for instance if you work in oil and fossil fuels industries are you going to be more critical of renewable energy? Does your job include a union? How does that compare to being union focused like the Labour party verses whether they'd support the Conservatives?

It could be that where your job lies is where your particular opinions and biases lie also.