The new political divides in British politics
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Southampton
Department Name: School of Social Sciences
Abstract
A dynamic of global economic development means that many countries are experiencing uneven development and their citizens are increasingly split between those who can access high-skill jobs and those who cannot. As a result some citizens are living in urban areas of growth and others in areas of relative decline. There are emerging out of these processes distinctive political, social, and cultural outlooks on the two sides of the divide (Jennings and Stoker 2016). In "cosmopolitan" areas, people hold attitudes that are more socially liberal, pro-EU and future-oriented, whereas in regional coastal and post-industrial areas attitudes are more likely to be negative about immigration and the EU, and prone to embracing nostalgia. These are the places said to be "left behind" and the subject of much academic and public debate (e.g. Cliffe, 2014; 2015; 2016; Ford and Goodwin, 2014; Evans and Mellon, 2015; Goodwin and Heath, 2016). The EU referendum "crystallised" this new political cleavage (BES 2016) yet its origins can be traced to long-term trends in both public opinion and public policy - and their interrelation. This project will explore the long-term relationship between social and economic development and public attitudes in Britain, alongside the wider emergence of identity politics and 'cultural backlash'. It will specifically focus on the role of place, and context, in shaping social attitudes - seeking to understand how this contributes to the polarisation of attitudes between different areas.
Organisations
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ES/R501025/1 | 01/10/2017 | 30/09/2021 | |||
| 1946956 | Studentship | ES/R501025/1 | 01/10/2017 | 14/04/2022 | Sam Shorto |
| ES/P000673/1 | 01/10/2017 | 30/09/2027 | |||
| 1946956 | Studentship | ES/P000673/1 | 01/10/2017 | 14/04/2022 | Sam Shorto |
| Description | At the current stage of research, any findings are very preliminary and use of data has been largely exploratory. That being said, findings so far have indicated that the project is moving in a promising direction. I am aiming to establish the level of political fragmentation (i.e. people moving away from the two main parties) in UK politics, particularly in reference to local elections, and whether this is a universal phenomenon or subject to localised/regional variation. The data exploration conducted so far indicates both that fragmentation is occurring, and that the rate at which it is happening varies widely between different cities, regions etc. |
| Exploitation Route | Studying electoral politics in this way may have important implications in predicting when electoral systems are likely to fragment, and what the key drivers of this might be. It is hoped that a model of the key local drivers of fragmentation may have use in predicting which areas are most susceptible to the process, and thus are worth targeting by political parties in their election campaigns. |
| Sectors | Government, Democracy and Justice |