Civic Participation over the Lifecourse

In this chapter. Christ Taylor draws on longitudinal data from the British Birth Cohort Studies to chart the changing patterns of civic and political participation over the adult lifecourse within the UK. The analysis shows how different stages of the life course – family formation, child-rearing and employment – have implications for civic engagement as measured in terms of trade union membership, volunteering and voting. The analysis also reveals how important prior civic participation is on later civic participation. In this connection, social class background appears to have an important role in determining initial levels of civic participation over the lifecourse, particularly in terms of formal volunteering. The role of education and the intergenerational transmission of civic behaviours and attitudes, particularly during childhood, would seem to be an important component of this.