Political Culture in Political Culture in CanadaCanada

Douglas BrownDouglas Brown

Pols 220 / St Francis XavierPols 220 / St Francis Xavier

Fall term, 2008Fall term, 2008

Political Culture in Canada: Political Culture in Canada: ContentsContents

What is political culture? What is political culture?

Recent developments in Canadian political Recent developments in Canadian political cultureculture

Nevitte and Kanji’s study of “new Nevitte and Kanji’s study of “new cleavages”cleavages”

ReadingsReadings

Brooks, Brooks, Canadian DemocracyCanadian Democracy, chap 2. , chap 2.

Nevitte and Kanjii “New Cleavages…” Nevitte and Kanjii “New Cleavages…” (chapter 4) in Bickerton and Gagnon eds., (chapter 4) in Bickerton and Gagnon eds., Canadian PoliticsCanadian Politics

What is Political Culture? What is Political Culture? ““Values, beliefs, behaviour of a society’s Values, beliefs, behaviour of a society’s members in regards to politics”members in regards to politics”What we value in political life (liberty, equality, What we value in political life (liberty, equality, participation, etc.)participation, etc.)Our attitudes towards government and politics – Our attitudes towards government and politics – e.g. Deference, Trust, Efficacy, Alienatione.g. Deference, Trust, Efficacy, AlienationHow we act on our beliefs and values (voting, How we act on our beliefs and values (voting, demonstrations, party volunteer, etc. )demonstrations, party volunteer, etc. )Are there are differences of political culture Are there are differences of political culture within Canada ?within Canada ?

Elements of Political CultureElements of Political Culture

Overall regime supportOverall regime supportBroad value setsBroad value setsSocialization to politicsSocialization to politicsCommunity identificationCommunity identificationEfficacy as citizensEfficacy as citizensTrust in/ deference towards political Trust in/ deference towards political leadership and institutionsleadership and institutionsParticipation/ acting on beliefs and valuesParticipation/ acting on beliefs and values

Developments in Canadian Developments in Canadian Political Culture…1Political Culture…1

Declining levels of Declining levels of trust trust in government in government and politiciansand politicians

Declining levels in citizen Declining levels in citizen efficacyefficacy –i.e. –i.e. feeling that one can change the course of feeling that one can change the course of politics or the systempolitics or the system

Declining Declining deferencedeference to authority figures to authority figures

Developments…2Developments…2

Material values …in decline ?Material values …in decline ? Value of economic growth, developmentValue of economic growth, development Importance of redistribution, income inequalityImportance of redistribution, income inequality Less important now? Less important now?

Post-material values …on the rise ?Post-material values …on the rise ? Gender and sexual orientation identification Gender and sexual orientation identification

and rightsand rights Multiculturalism and the politics of recognitionMulticulturalism and the politics of recognition Environment, quality of life concernsEnvironment, quality of life concerns

Participation trendsParticipation trends

Declining social capital: the “bowling Declining social capital: the “bowling alone” thesisalone” thesis

Decline in votingDecline in voting

Rise in direct actionRise in direct action

Formation of new parties and movementsFormation of new parties and movements

Cyber-politics: technologically-driven Cyber-politics: technologically-driven methods of citizen participation and methods of citizen participation and feedbackfeedback

Comparing Canada and USComparing Canada and US

Significant convergences:Significant convergences: Views on deference, social order, and social equality Views on deference, social order, and social equality

are very close or the sameare very close or the same

Still significant differences:Still significant differences: More tolerance of free speech in the USMore tolerance of free speech in the US More value placed on individual initiative in the USMore value placed on individual initiative in the US More value placed on collective or State provision in More value placed on collective or State provision in

CanadaCanada

Is the Post 9/11 (“war on terror”) security climate Is the Post 9/11 (“war on terror”) security climate having an effect on our values? having an effect on our values?

Nevitte and Kanji:Nevitte and Kanji:“New Cleavages, Value Diversity and “New Cleavages, Value Diversity and

Democratic Governance”Democratic Governance”

Measuring Political CultureMeasuring Political Culture

The Nature of “Cleavages”The Nature of “Cleavages”

Understanding changes in Canada’s Understanding changes in Canada’s political culture (sociology)political culture (sociology)

Old Cleavages in CanadaOld Cleavages in Canada

French – EnglishFrench – English

Catholic – ProtestantCatholic – Protestant

Regional – east, west, Quebec, OntarioRegional – east, west, Quebec, Ontario

Class – labour, farmers, middle/upper Class – labour, farmers, middle/upper classesclasses

Three Newer CleavagesThree Newer Cleavages

New Basis of ImmigrationNew Basis of Immigration

Generational Shift to “Post-material” Generational Shift to “Post-material” valuesvalues

GenderGender

Testing Values by surveying Testing Values by surveying views on the following:views on the following:

Subjective religiositySubjective religiosity

Church leadershipChurch leadership

Moral permissivenessMoral permissiveness

Civil permissivenessCivil permissiveness

Market economicsMarket economics

Science and Science and technologytechnology

Women and workWomen and work

Kids and Kids and independenceindependence

Workplace conditionsWorkplace conditions

Post-materialism Post-materialism factorsfactors

Results ….Results ….

Value gaps widening…Value gaps widening… Between native-born Canadians and Between native-born Canadians and

newer immigrantsnewer immigrants Between those born before 1960 and Between those born before 1960 and

those born afterthose born after Between men and women Between men and women Immigrants, younger Canadians and Immigrants, younger Canadians and women all more likely to adopt the newer women all more likely to adopt the newer value setvalue set

Significance:Significance:

Greater value diversity in the populations Greater value diversity in the populations makes governance more difficultmakes governance more difficult

But, older cleavages less importantBut, older cleavages less important

Value diversity within a region makes for Value diversity within a region makes for less satisfaction …e.g. Alberta, Quebecless satisfaction …e.g. Alberta, Quebec

Yet, the more post-material the society, Yet, the more post-material the society, the more likely to protestthe more likely to protest