PPA 419 Aging Services Administration

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PPA 419 Aging Services Administration

• Lecture 3b Aging and political attitudes, 1948
  2004

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Source

• The American National Election Studies
  (www.electionstudies.org). THE 1948-2004 ANES
  CUMULATIVE DATA FILE dataset. Stanford
  University and the University of Michigan
  producers and distributors, 2005.

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Problems with Cross-Sectional Studies

• Influenced by unique circumstances at the time of
  the survey.
• Cannot separate affects of age, cohort, and
  period.

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Age, Cohort, and Period

• Age Impact of maturation on individual.
• Cohort Generational effects caused by exposure
  to phenomena unique to birth period.
• Period Events affecting all cohorts and ages at
  a single time.

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American National Election Studies

• We can study political attitudes by examining
  cohorts and age groups over time.
• Use ANES 1948 2004.
• 1948, every two years from 1952 to 2004.
  Twenty-eight surveys in all. 47,438 cases.

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Attitudes examined

• Party identification.
• Strength of partisanship.
• Interest in the election.
• Interest in public affairs.
• External efficacy.
• Government responsiveness.
• Trust in government.
• Political ideology.

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Comparisons

• Age cohort.
• 1. 1975-Present
• 2. 1959-1974
• 3. 1943-1958
• 4. 1927-1942
• 5. 1911-1926
• 6. 1895-1910
• 7. Before 1895

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Comparisons

• Age groups.
• 1. 17-24
• 2. 25-34
• 3. 35-44
• 4. 45-54
• 5. 55-64
• 6. 65-74
• 7. 75-99 and over

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Party identification by age cohort
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Party identification by age group
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Strength of partisanship by age cohort
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Strength of partisanship by age group
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Interest in the election by age cohort.
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Interest in the election by age groups
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Interest in public affairs by age cohort
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Interest in public affairs by age groups
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External efficacy by age cohorts
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External efficacy by age groups
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Government responsiveness by age cohorts
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Government responsiveness by age groups
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Trust in government by age cohorts
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Trust in government by age groups
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Conservatism by age cohort
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Conservatism by age group