THE POLITICAL DISTINCTIVENESS OF YOUNG PROFESSIONAL: YUPPIES OR NEW CLASS. ?

In: Political psychology: journal of the International Society of Political Psychology, Band 11, Heft 2, S. 309-330

Abstract

IT HAS BEEN WIDELY SUGGESTED IN THE MEDIA THAT YUPPIES (YOUNG URBAN PROFESSIONALS) ARE BECOMING A MAJOR CULTURAL AND POLITICAL SECTOR OF MODERN SOCIETY. THE DISTINCTIVE NATURE OF THEIR SOCIAL AND POLITICAL VIEWS IS ATTRIBUTED TO A FAIRLY UNIQUE COMBINATION OF LIBERAL POLITICAL VIEWS AND CONSERVATIVE ECONOMIC ATTITUDES. THEY ARE ALSO THOUGHT TO HAVE LITTLE POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT AND TO PLACE A STRONG EMPHASIS ON INDIVIDUAL WELFARE. USING DUTCH SOCIAL SURVEY DATA, IT IS FOUND THAT ALTHOUGH YUPPIES HOLD MORE LIBERAL POLITICAL ATTITUDES THAN NON-YUPPIES, THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT THEY ARE MORE CONSERVATIVE ON ECONOMIC MATTERS, LESS POLITICALLY INVOLVED OR PLACE A STRONGER EMPHASIS ON INDIVIDUAL PROSPERITY. MORE RESTRICTED DEFINITIONS OF THE TERM "YUPPIE" DO NOT AFFECT THESE RESULTS. BESIDES THESE ANALYSES OF SINGLE POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC ATTITUDES, AN ADDITIONAL ANALYSIS WAS CONDUCTED TO TRACE POSSIBLE DIFFERENCES IN ATTITUDINAL PATTERNS BETWEEN YUPPIES AND NON-YUPPIES. NO SUCH DIFFERENCES HAVE BEEN FOUND, HOWEVER. IT IS ARGUED THAT, INSTEAD OF YUPPIES BEING A SPECIFIC SOCIAL GROUP, THEY ARE PART OF A MUCH BROADER CATEGORY OF YOUNG, LEFT-OF-CENTER PROFESSIONALS WHO, IN LINE WITH "NEW CLASS" THEORIES, HOLD LIBERAL POLITICAL ATTITUDES.