Abstract
AbstractUnionisation continues to decline in the UK. This paper examines the changes over time in the relationship between politics and union membership, and it is based on European Social Survey data from 2002 to 2018. Political attitudes have been analysed by considering the interest in politics and ideological orientation according to self‐placement on the left–right scale, and behaviour looking at political participation. Political orientation (being left‐wing) and political participation are determinants of union membership. However, in the UK, a centrist political orientation prevails, and political participation is low. The relationship between political attitudes, behaviour and unionisation over time has been stable.
Highlights
The decline in union membership and density, which, albeit with differences, has been affecting many countries since the 1980s, has long been studied by industrial relations scholars
This paper examines the changes over time in the relationship between politics and union membership, and it is based on European Social Survey data from 2002 to 2018
Political attitudes have been analysed by considering the interest in politics and ideological orientation according to self-placement on the left–right scale, and behaviour looking at political participation
Summary
The decline in union membership and density, which, albeit with differences, has been affecting many countries since the 1980s, has long been studied by industrial relations scholars. The principal causes can be attributed to macro and micro variables (Ebbinghaus & Visser, 1999; Schnabel, 2002, 2013, 2020; Schnabel & Wagner, 2007; Visser, 2002, 2019; Waddington, 2015). One issue that has tended to be neglected in recent years is the effect of political attitudes and behaviour on union membership. Whereas unionisation was linked to class identity in the past, this relationship seems to have weakened. The concept of social class has been the subject of debate for years. One example is the contrast between those who argue that social class is irrelevant because of the individualisation process
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