Far-right ideas: Britains's generation gap (anti-immigrant policies don't appeal to young)

[pampango]

Far-right groups demonstrate outside Downing Street.

So, what did we find? The first key message is that despite the failure of the BNP and EDL, and the onset of economic crisis, large numbers of voters remain open to the core ideas of the far right. Across Europe, the far right has recruited significant support by offering a combination of populist, anti-immigrant and increasingly anti-Muslim policies. Most of these parties promise voters that they will stand up to business and political elites, halt all further immigration, reduce the number of Muslims or the presence of Islam in society, and prioritise native values over other cultures.

Whereas older generations – those who perhaps have less experience with mass immigration, and are less likely to forge relationships with people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds – appear relatively clear and resolute in their desire for a party that adopts a tough, populist stance toward elites, immigration, Muslims and British values, younger Britons are significantly less favourable toward this narrative.

Whereas over half (54%) of those aged 60 or above would be more likely to shift behind an explicitly anti-immigrant party, less than one quarter (23%) of the 18- to 24-year-olds in our sample would be swayed by this position, while exactly three-fifths of these younger respondents would be "less likely" to support this party, or say the policy would make no difference. Similarly, whereas over two-thirds (68%) of those aged 60 or above would be more likely to turn out for a party that promised to prioritise British values over other cultures, less than a third (32%) of the 18- to 24-year-olds adopt the same view.

These findings are supported by research in sociology, which similarly points to a sharp generational decline in support for crude forms of racial prejudice.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/sep/16/far-right-britains-generation-gap

The UK study shows that young people are more open to immigration and multiculturalism than are folks over 60. Not exactly an earth-shattering conclusion, but it would have been really shocking if the reverse had been proven so perhaps it is somewhat reassuring. The other question is to what extent liberal young people stay liberal as they age versus becoming more conservative as they get older.