School politics class: UK right-wing voters more anti-immigrant than Trump supporters, survey finds

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Specification:

• AQA Component 3.2.2.4: Comparative politics: Electoral and party systems: comparisons of party policies in the UK and the USA

• Edexcel Component 6.2.9: Comparative approaches: The policy profiles of the two main parties in each country

Background: what you need to know

This article provides background evidence on why US Republicans differ in important respects from UK Conservative and Reform UK supporters. A recent survey has suggested that people on the UK right are more opposed to immigration and racial diversity than Republicans. The survey also indicates that people on the UK left tend to be more anti-immigration than US Democrats. This may be because, despite high levels of polarisation in US politics, multiculturalism has become embedded there over a longer period than in the UK.

On the other hand, US conservatives are more opposed to abortion and same-sex marriage than their UK counterparts. This points to the greater importance of religion in US political culture. The article finds close alignment between US and UK rightwingers on transgender rights, possibly because this issue does not have religious roots. On the size of the state, Trump supporters are keener on reducing government intervention than today’s UK rightwingers. All of this underlines the role of culture in explaining different political attitudes.

Click the link below to read the article and then answer the questions:

UK right-wing voters more anti-immigrant than Trump supporters, survey finds

Question in the style of Edexcel Politics Paper 3

• Analyse the differences between the ideas and policies of the US Republican Party and the UK Conservative party. In your answer, you must consider the relevance of at least one comparative theory. [12 marks]

Question in the style of AQA Politics Paper 2

• Explain and analyse three ways that cultural theory could be used to explain the differences between the policies of the US Republican Party and the UK Conservative party. [9 marks]

TIP: The cultural theory, specified in the AQA-style question, is one of three comparative theories which can be used to analyse differences between US and UK politics. It is concerned with the way in which the ideas and values of a group — in this case a political party — may influence its members’ behaviour.

Graham Goodlad, Portsmouth High School