British Social Attitudes data from 1985-2012 reveals that the generation coming of age under Margaret Thatcher (Thatcher's Children) embraced more right-authoritarian political values than other generations. In contrast, analyses show those who matured during New Labour displayed even stronger adherence to these positions concerning redistribution, welfare, and crime.
Through rigorous statistical techniques including age-period-cohort analysis and generalized additive models (GAMs), this research demonstrates significant cohort effects shaping public opinion long after the initial political environment has passed. The findings highlight how Thatcher's legacy profoundly influenced value systems across British society over several decades.
These results suggest that shifts in political values cannot always be explained by current events alone, pointing instead to enduring patterns of intergenerational influence.
| Thatcher's Children, Blair's Babies, Political Socialisation and Trickle-down Value-change: An Age, Period and Cohort Analysis was authored by Maria Grasso, Stephen Farrall, Emily Gray, Colin Hay and Will Jennings. It was published by Cambridge in BJPS in 2019. |
