Abstract
This thesis explores the intersection of income, wealth, and housing tenure with culturalvalues in various local contexts, examining how these intersections correlate with differing
political preferences. Large social attitudinal surveys, such as the United Kingdom
Household Longitudinal Survey and British Election Study, gather respondents’ incomes,
wealth, housing status, demographics, local contexts, and opinions on social issues. By
combining these survey responses with area-level economic data, including house price
changes and labour market structures, this thesis enhances our understanding of the
contemporary British political landscape. Employing multilevel modelling and descriptive
statistics, the analysis scrutinises the relationship between contemporary inequality and
politics.
While economic divisions may remain significant, the analysis explores the increasing
influence of cultural factors on political preferences, described as ‘tilting towards the
cosmopolitan axis’ (Jennings and Stoker, 2017). This shift indicates how voters are
increasingly basing their decisions on cultural issues, such as immigration and cultural
conservatism, rather than economic issues like income and employment. These cultural
issues are examined alongside the theorised ‘new divides’ of neoliberalism, which include
housing tenure and the asset economy (Adkins et al, 2021), precarity (Standing, 2011),
exposure to globalisation generating new opportunities or risks (Azmanova, 2011), and
geographical and labour-market fluidity or rigidity (Goodhart, 2017).
These changes in the drivers of political preferences highlight a broader realignment within
the electorate. This realignment is evident in the increased popular support for populist
politics in the UK, as seen in the rise of UKIP, Brexit, and the continued prominence of
subsequent populist politicians and parties.
The analytical exploration presented in this thesis finds that the neoliberal reshaping of
economic opportunities and inequalities influences cultural values, and that cultural issues
increasingly hold explanatory power when predicting voting outcomes. This work
contributes to the literature by providing further evidence that socioeconomic conditions
and cultural dynamics intertwine to produce heterogeneous political behaviour in modern
Britain.
| Date of Award | 4 Feb 2025 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisor | Julie MacLeavy (Supervisor) & David J Manley (Supervisor) |