Do our political views change as we get older? 6 Minute English

Neil: Hello. This is 6 Minute English, I'm Neil.

Sam: And I'm Sam.

Neil: Sam, do you remember the first time you voted?

Sam: No I don’t, but I remember being

very keen to do it. It would have been the

first election after my 18th birthday.

Neil: So, over the many, many, many years

since then …

Sam: … eh, not so much with the ‘manys’

if you don’t mind Neil!

Neil: In the very, very few years since then …

Sam: That’s more like it!

Neil: In the years since then, have your political

views changed very much?

Sam: I think my political views are a lot

better informed now. I think the decisions

I make are based on a better

understanding of the political situation –

but I still generally agree with the same

things I did when I was younger, I think.

Neil: There is a belief that as we get older

we become more right-wing in our

political views and opinions. Is this true

and if so, why?

We’ll be finding out a little bit more

about this but first

a question. What was the first UK

general election in which 18-year-olds

could vote? Was it: A: 1929, B: 1950, or C: 1970.

So, what do you reckon then, Sam?

Sam: Well, they were all before my time.

I’m going to say 1950 – that sounds

about right – it was the decade in which

teenagers were invented, after all!

Neil: OK. Well, I will reveal the answer later

in the programme. James Tilley is a

professor of politics at the University of

Oxford. He appeared recently on BBC

Radio 4’s programme Analysis and was

asked why, if it is true, do we become

more right-wing as we get older. What

does he think?

Prof. James Tilley: The question that

age affects our political views is a tricky

one. I think probably the most plausible

explanation is that people just generally

become a bit more resistant to change as

they get older and I think also that they

also tend to perhaps, become less

idealistic.

Neil: So, what reasons does he give?

Sam: Well, he talks about what he thinks

are the most plausible explanations.

'Plausible' is an adjective which means

something is believable;

it’s reasonable and makes sense.

Neil: And what are the plausible explanations?

Sam: Well, he says that generally, as we

get older, we like to have more stability in

our lives, we don’t like change, in fact we

are resistant to change. That means we

are against change. When we are younger

we might like the idea of revolution, we

might be very idealistic. This means, for

example, we might think that

we can and should change the world to

make things better. This would cause big

changes in the world which when we are

older and more settled in our lives, do not

seem like such a good idea.

Neil: Let’s listen again.

Prof. James Tilley: The question that age

affects our political views is a tricky one.

I think probably the most plausible

explanation is that people just generally

become a bit more resistant to change as

they get older and I think also that they

also tend to become less idealistic.

Neil: Professor Tilley goes on to explain

more about why being resistant to change

might lead people to support more right-

wing policies.

Prof. James Tilley: So if parties on the

right represent a platform

which is perhaps more favourable to the

status quo, it’s perhaps more about

pragmatism than it is about idealism,

then that might be more attractive to

older people than younger people.

Neil: So what is seen as the appeal of

moving to the right?

Sam: Political parties have a particular

set of policies. This is sometimes known

as their 'platform'. Professor Tilley says

that if their platforms support the

status quo, they might be more attractive to

older people. 'The status quo' is a Latin

phrase we use in English to refer to the

situation as it is now – that is, one that is

not going to change. Traditionally

it’s parties of the centre right that seem

to be more supportive of the status quo.

Neil: So, as we get older he says our

political views are less about idealism

and more about pragmatism.

'Pragmatism' is being practical and

realistic about what can be achieved and

how it can be achieved.

Sam: But of course this doesn’t apply to

everyone and just because people seem

to move more to the right as they get

older doesn’t mean that they completely

change their politics.

Neil: Let’s hear Professor Tilley again.

Prof. James Tilley: So, if parties on the

right represent a platform which is

perhaps more favourable to the status

quo, it’s perhaps more about pragmatism

than it is about idealism, then that might

be more attractive to older people than

younger people.

Neil: Right, let’s get the answer to our

question.

What was the first UK general election in

which 18-year-olds could vote?

A: 1929, B: 1950, or C: 1970.

Sam, what did you say?

Sam: I thought it was 1950.

Neil: Well, you’re wrong, I’m afraid. The

correct answer is 1970. 18-year-olds have

been allowed to vote in the UK since 1969

and the first general election after that

was in 1970. So, a bit later than you

thought, Sam, but congratulations

to anyone who did get that right. OK, let’s

remind ourselves of our vocabulary.

Sam: Yes, first we had 'plausible'. An

adjective that means ‘believable or possible’.

Neil: Being 'resistant' to something means

you are against it and don’t want it to happen.

Sam: If you are 'idealistic' you have a clear

and simple moral view of how things

should be.

Neil: This contrasts with one of our other words,

'pragmatism', this noun is the idea of being

realistic and practical about what can be

achieved.

Sam: A 'platform' can describe the policies

and ideas of a political party or politician.

And 'the status quo' is the unchanging

situation as it is now.

Neil: OK, thank you, Sam. That’s all from

us in this programme. Do join us again

and if you can’t wait you can find lots

more from BBC Learning English online,

on social media and on our app. Goodbye!

Sam: Bye!