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People say 'here is next culture war' but don't spot significant differences
- Eg, ditching Proms anthems had anaemic support on 'left', and broad opposition
- Ofcom should sanction ITV/Diversity had narrow support on 'right' : 25k complaints, almost no public voices backed this
- Eg, ditching Proms anthems had anaemic support on 'left', and broad opposition
- Ofcom should sanction ITV/Diversity had narrow support on 'right' : 25k complaints, almost no public voices backed this
- Enormous differences on specific proposals on monuments. An interethnic public majority would put Colston in a museum. Its hard to find any of the tiny fringe who would move Churchill
- Different people are involved in the (v. narrow) group who seek to 'cancel' JK Rowling
- Different people are involved in the (v. narrow) group who seek to 'cancel' JK Rowling
Almost nobody in Britain thought there was any issue with Adele's hair. Broadcasters had to get some muppet from Philadelphia on to pretend there was a controversy.
There is a q broad public middle ground, not two tribes with ultra-different pavlovian responses to everything.
There is a q broad public middle ground, not two tribes with ultra-different pavlovian responses to everything.
Strong evidence UK is less polarised than USA or France. Do media realise?
- Less intense. Less social distance by eg geog, faith, ethnicity, politics
- More bridging terrain (eg NHS, Remembrance,monarchy, sport, TV)
- 'tribes' shift on different issues much more in UK than US
- Less intense. Less social distance by eg geog, faith, ethnicity, politics
- More bridging terrain (eg NHS, Remembrance,monarchy, sport, TV)
- 'tribes' shift on different issues much more in UK than US
We could go down the US path, but it would take more effort from media and political elites to generate broadly unpopular hyperpolarisation to get there. https://twitter.com/sundersays/status/1303279847725314048?s=19
- The media should be less credulous in reporting every tweet as if it reflects a movement
- Major instititutions in history/heritage and culture should step up + engage broader publics directly, so help find and build extensive latent bridging terrain
- Major instititutions in history/heritage and culture should step up + engage broader publics directly, so help find and build extensive latent bridging terrain
Concept of a 'culture war' is used lazily, without thinking about what drives it and what checks it. Public voices say its a bad thing + fuel it
UK media references always tick up in every US Presidential election year but is now growing exponentially. https://twitter.com/BobbyDuffyKings/status/1305898824586670080?s=19
UK media references always tick up in every US Presidential election year but is now growing exponentially. https://twitter.com/BobbyDuffyKings/status/1305898824586670080?s=19
You have a serious political/cultural social conflict if two strongly opposed views
- are diametrically opposed
- both command high levels of support,
- are salient to both sides, so keep getting mobilised
- dialogue about them is as likely to entrench views as build consensus
- are diametrically opposed
- both command high levels of support,
- are salient to both sides, so keep getting mobilised
- dialogue about them is as likely to entrench views as build consensus
That does not fit UK attitudes to gender, to race, to gay rights, to identity, to citizenship or to history. Pattern of some big shifts across generations, then broad convergence on shared foundational social norms, some political/policy debate within those norms
BSA on gender
BSA on gender
It may better fit binary arguments about foundational salient political issues, related to identity
Northern Ireland conflict: violence contained in divided society
Brexit and Scottish independence are very big political questions which do create 'affective polarisation'
Northern Ireland conflict: violence contained in divided society
Brexit and Scottish independence are very big political questions which do create 'affective polarisation'
Massive binary political debates are trickier.
Need to try to maintain democratic norms consensus at different levels
- how to decide the core issue (rules)
- how to disagree while deciding (culture)
- how to contain spillover to society, (relationships of winners/losers)
Need to try to maintain democratic norms consensus at different levels
- how to decide the core issue (rules)
- how to disagree while deciding (culture)
- how to contain spillover to society, (relationships of winners/losers)
Social media exacerbates media culture - sugar rush from platforming conflict, however trivial, but difficulties in animating consensus, or important changes that happen gradually
There has been no Covid culture war in Britain among the public, but you can still report one
There has been no Covid culture war in Britain among the public, but you can still report one
Amplifying the un-normal (which news has to do, to some extent) can be one factor distorting public perceptions of others, reducing social trust.
This Covid trust gap is quite wide in the UK (though much wider again in France) https://twitter.com/sundersays/status/1307049649866526720?s=19
This Covid trust gap is quite wide in the UK (though much wider again in France) https://twitter.com/sundersays/status/1307049649866526720?s=19
'Storm'
This is self-selecting online survey of 10k people (yellow) compared to actual public opinion (blue). This is immigration but will be a common pattern on many issues. Its so easy to platform the 10% on each flank but more work to give some voice to the 70% of public in between
