Has the recession spawned a generation of Democrats?
Has the recession spawned a generation of Democrats?
New research suggests that those who grow up in a broken economy tend to support more government redistribution
Tom Jacobs, Pacific Standard Dec 3, 2013
http://www.salon.com/2013/12/03/study_recession_could_create_a_generation_of_democrats_partner/
Republicans who worry about their party’s long-term prospects tend to focus on the ways the party’s leaders have been alienating Latinos and women. But newly published research suggests the GOP may have an even bigger problem: The generation that is just emerging.
In “Growing Up in a Recession,” published in the Review of Economic Studies,economists Paola Giuliano and Antonio Spilimbergo report that people who experienced a recession “during the critical years of early adulthood” generally “support more government redistribution, and tend to vote for left-wing parties.”
After examining three different data sets, they conclude “the effect of recessions on beliefs is long-lasting.” According to their analysis, coming of age in a lousy economic environment breeds the belief that “success in life depends more on luck than effort,” which in turn leads to more support for social welfare policies.
Giuliano and Spilimbergo first analyzed data from the General Social Survey, a nationally representative sample that gathers information from about 1,500 Americans every other year. .............