Social Class and Political Involvement in Age Graded and Non-Age Graded Associations

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between social class and political involvement after retirement and seeks to determine whether this relationship is differentially mediated by participation in non-age graded and age graded associational contexts. Controlling for the age structure of association memberships, the relationships between social class and political activity and several measures of political interest are examined for 304 retired people. Strong and moderate relationships were found for individuals without memberships and those with non-age graded memberships exclusively. No relationships were found for members of age graded associations only. The absence of a relationship between social class and political involvement for those individuals who confine their formal associational activity to age peers is explained by positing the existence of a generational community which insulates lower class older people from class related cross-pressures and invidious distinctions which depress political involvement in other contexts.

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