The new political divides in British politics

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

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.