Are older people today out of touch politically with younger generations?

This comes from an article in The Conversation about older people. I think it's interesting and probably true:

You become more conservative
Not so. Imagine ten people: one aged ten, one 20, one 30 and so on. The oldest is less liberal than the 60-year-old, who is less liberal than the 40-year-old, and so on. You might conclude people get more conservative with age. But you’d be incorrectly assuming that each person started out with the same political outlook.

A 100-year-old woman, born in 1918, formed her baseline political opinions in a very different time. What was liberal in the 1940s is conservative now (consider race relations, feminism and sexual norms). What you’re seeing is a 100-year-old whose political opinions have become less conservative, but remain more conservative than her children’s or grandchildren’s opinions, who began their lives on a more liberal footing. This is what researchers in the US found in their study of political attitudes among different age groups over 30 years. They concluded that “change is as common among older adults as younger adults”.

The Conversation

(I've shortened the link because it was massive... the article itself covered much more than just political views)

I've always been much more left wing than my two siblings and I find myself much more in tune with younger members of the family. Particularly on Brexit.

I'm not surprised if younger people are more left wing and I can remember being a bit contemptuous of fuddie-duddie 'old people' when I was much younger. I think that's a common generational thing. You just get a bit more tolerant of your elders as you get older yourself.

I do think younger people are partially right to blame us for their current situation. Who voted for Thatcher and the neo-liberalism that has brought about the current state of the economy?

Thank you to those decent minded respondents who have reply in a fair, frank and very open and constructive way.

To those who find the views of young patronising then please stop an think, we are suppose to live in a democracy where I pray that the views of young and old have still have equal value.

I'm sure there are people of all ages who fit into all kinds of generalisations.

Having just read Nonnies &;Anniebach comments not sure there would be any benefits would accrue to suggesting they look on Gransnet. The rudeness and patronising attitudes of a few responses to younger people views, would rather confirm that their views that there are such older
people that fit well in the optinion of their views on many Older People. As I have not expressed my own views I find it the height of ignorance on the part of those hating to hear views they don’t agree with to criticise what they describe as my views. Even being told that I am a Corbyn supporter which frankly is silly and very far from true.

I agree with Bluebelle a lot of older people look back with rose tinted specs and see things that didn't exist and forget how life REALLY was for most .The press are biased we saw it here and still do with our SNP government who are always SNP.=..BAD. anything they do thats useful or good for the country ...and they do a lot of good, is glossed over .Lies are told and accepted.The latest being that Nicola Sturgeon was responsible for the use of the Lion Rampant instead of the Union Flag on Royal ocassions.NOT true ,reported in all the papers and complained about by Reese Mogg and Ruth Davidson..yet only ONE newspaper printed a retraction ..as far as the rest of the country is concerned its true.Even though Alex Salmond came forward and informed the press it was HE who spoke to the Queen about it and the Queen was in total agreement .I dont buy newspapers ,haven't since 2014 and wont again until they become more balanced.I think a lot of the younger generation see the bias and find it unacceptable and in the main Right wing led .

Not offended jura just wanted to be clear!

I think a lot of older people are stubborn, but I think the same goes for the young. I actually think we are at our most flexible between around 30 and 50, having got over student evangelism and not having developed views which have had time to set in concrete. It’s unarguable that the tabloids are biased, but the most biased views you are likely to ever see you will find on social media and internet based sources - but I do agree that all these biased sources of media have a very significant, and often very damaging, influence.

Disagree with the general view of ‘oldies’. Totally agree about tabloids being biased. Just because I’ve passed my 50th birthday doesn’t mean I’m incapable of forming an opinion based on a range of information. That idea is patronising.

Furthermore, if I heard those sort of views being expressed to me, in my family, then I certainly wouldn’t find them ‘fascinating’ as you do.They are frankly rude.
‘Older people tend to be self centred’ ! Really? And young people are selfless I suppose? For those older people on this forum, for example,having brought up their children, helping bring up grandchildren and often helping with
elderly parents, the words ‘self centered’ are ridiculous.

Lemon I like that 'entitled young people' because I do think it sums up a certain type of young person who is only able to see things from their own perspective and is looking for someone to blame when they can't have what they want - instantly!

How patronising of those young people. They would soon complain if others generalised about them. Most of us are well able to think for ourselves.

lemongrove, it is their future an awful lot more than it is ours- for sure. Basic maths.

Sorry if my post offended jane - of course it does not include all of older people - but overall, statistically speaking- which is why a majority of older people voted Leave.

James I think I am right in saying that you are a Corbyn supporter, as I seem to remember your posts from a while ago, also that you you voted Remain.That being so, you are hardly unbiased.
Your younger family members may be telling you that is what they think, but that doesn’t mean all younger people under 50 feel that way.
Mature adults have been around politics a long time, and make their own minds up.
Entitled younger people may be feeling this way, who knows, but we are not all yet ready for the grave,
It is our future too!
We all, regardless of age have a vote, and in the referendum not many young people bothered to use it.

It's an old chestnut!

Noone takes their political views simply from whichever paper they read. We all watch TV, listen to radio, observe the world talk to family, friends, neighbours etc. And, we seen it all before.

Well I would agree with you jura about the role of the tabloids in the leave campaign.
As far as the title of the thread is concerned, do you mean you personally are out of touch, or all old people are out of touch?
If the latter, please speak for yourself and don’t presume to include the rest of us!

The title in particular.

And that Tabloids are full of lies and bias, and have been shown to be so so many times, and so was the Leave Campaign.

Which particular bit do you agree with jura?

Thanks Smithy. I do get fed up with being blamed for everything that is not right.

No surprise here James - I agree.

I feel sure james has been on here before, conducting some sort of research.
I could be completely wrong of course.
As an old person who has never read a tabloid and doesn’t know anyone who does (apart from the Guardian of course which is now a tabloid), I would dispute the idea that social media and TV offer a more balanced view.
Research has shown that social media merely feed into and reinforce people’s prejudices, and very little in television news constitutes debate.

Nonnie (13.48) - good post!

Is this research? If it is permission should have been asked.

My gd's (18 and 20) are very much of the same opinion as I am politically and are equally clear that the present mess is not a result of the 'oldie' vote within our family.
Only one of our older generation is probrexit but voted libdem in the last election!
There is no intergenerational conflict here!

Perhaps you might direct your family to Gransnet OP!!