Jennings (1987) Residues of a movement

Jennings, M. Kent. (1987). Residues of a movement: The aging of the American protest generation. American Political Science Review, 81:2.

Study of the long-term effects of the protest era on those socialized within it. Compares students who did and did not protest and those who protested over time. There were some erosion effects, but the protest group was distinctive even after many years.

Generation: group that grows up at the same time ie the generation that grew up in the 60’s
Generation unit: subgroup of a generation that has some distinctive common experience (ie protesters in the 60’s)
Generational effects may produce social change over long periods. Compared to period effects and life cycle effects.
Absolute continuity: same attitude is constant over time (ie 50% of gen x votes consistently over lifetime)
Relative continuity: consistent differences between different generations over time (ie baby boomers always 20% more likely to vote than gen x over time)
Equivalent continuity: unique generational reaction to anew stimulus.

Reviews the sample for Jennings’ study
All ppl in this analysis are college grads, separated into protesters and non-protesters.
Protesters were somewhat different before college, but more different afterward.

Partisanship and Civil liberties: baptismal effects:
--Party: In 1965, future protesters were slightly more likely to be Democrats. In 1973, protesters became more Democratic and non-protesters became more associated with Independents. Little change between 1973 and 1982. trend at individual and aggregate level
--Voting: 13 point difference in support for Republican prez candidate in 1964, much greater differences in 1968 (25% vs 59%), which continued in ’72, ’76 and ’80. protesters changed little, stayed at low support. Non-protesters became more republican. trend at individual and aggregate level
-- civil liberties: protesters more tolerant of civil liberties, but all college grads scored fairly high. Absolute and relative continuity of protest generational unit.
-- school prayer: little diff between protesters and non in 1965, diverge in 1973, with protesters more opposed, and trend held in 1982.
--school integration: protesters more supportive in 1965, diverge further in ’73 and ’82. Little change for protesters, reduced support for non-protesters.

Group Interests and policy views: erosion effects
--support for conservative establishment: protesters became more warm to conservative groups, but so did non-protesters, so there is relative but not absolute continuity. Bigger difference in feeling toward conservatives than liberal groups. Protesters more warm, but by less, and with less change over time.
--over time reduction in feelings that disadvantaged groups have “too little power”, especially in the case of young people. Erosion for both protesters and non, so relative but not absolute continuity again, except for young people, where the two groups converged.
--Issue orientations: very different in 1973, with protesters more liberal. The groups became more similar in 1982, with protesters more conservative than they were in 1973, but still more liberal than non-protesters in 1982. erosion: little absolute continuity, some relative continuity, but less than for other variables. Protesters also more liberal on “new” issues of reducing health and human services resources and abortion.

-results not likely due to regression artifacts
-paradox of increasingly conservative baby boomers is no paradox at all because protesters are a minority of the population, and even they have become more conservative.