Your description of authoritarians as people who think "it's important to follow authority and social norms" makes me wonder how they ended up voting for a Prime Minister who certainly didn't embody that at all; who indeed one who gleefully defied conventions. Though I suppose it's also true that it was his rule-breaking that led to his downfall.
I knew that enough people would, sadly, vote for Brexit ... it was, basically, a revolt of thiose who went to secondary modern schools. Partly to wreak revenge on the 'elite' but partly (frankly) because they either did not want to understand the issues or couldn't.
Aware you don't want to discuss the morality of trying to prevent refugees from crossing the English Channel, but your post (while fascinating) seems quite a bleak reflection of intolerance and prejudice in UK today. Do you have any data on how the number of people identifying as socially authoritarian is changing over time, and why? Seems important that we understand and counter the forces driving such mindsets, if they lead to terrible outcomes for the most vulnerable.
Required reading for anyone who wants to understand UK (OK, so far English only ;) politics, and all in one text with pretty pictures. Thank you.
Your description of authoritarians as people who think "it's important to follow authority and social norms" makes me wonder how they ended up voting for a Prime Minister who certainly didn't embody that at all; who indeed one who gleefully defied conventions. Though I suppose it's also true that it was his rule-breaking that led to his downfall.
Really fantastic post.
Quick question:
If you isolate the older "Labour-Newbies", how much less likely than the other groups (if at all) were they to have voted in the Brexit referendum?
I knew that enough people would, sadly, vote for Brexit ... it was, basically, a revolt of thiose who went to secondary modern schools. Partly to wreak revenge on the 'elite' but partly (frankly) because they either did not want to understand the issues or couldn't.
Aware you don't want to discuss the morality of trying to prevent refugees from crossing the English Channel, but your post (while fascinating) seems quite a bleak reflection of intolerance and prejudice in UK today. Do you have any data on how the number of people identifying as socially authoritarian is changing over time, and why? Seems important that we understand and counter the forces driving such mindsets, if they lead to terrible outcomes for the most vulnerable.