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Addresses important theoretical questions that arise from analyses in Chs 3 and 4 documenting that party identification is a powerful predictor of electoral preference. According to sociological models, party identification is a long-term, stable, affective orientation, whereas for models in the individual rationality framework, party identification is a summary, potentially mutable, tally of current and past party performance evaluations. Analyses of individual-level panel data show that, since the early 1960s, there has been considerable individual-level instability in party identification in Britain, and that this instability is not simply an artefact of random measurement error. Analyses of panel data and aggregate-level time series data also reveal that partisan dynamics reflect judgements about party leader performance and economic evaluations–key variables in the valence politics model of party support.

First tests rival models of voting turnout using data drawn from the 2001 BES pre- and post-election surveys. Analyses reveal that the general incentives model performs best. Crucial individual-level influences on electoral turnout are calculations of efficacy-discounted benefits and costs of participation, sense of civic duty, and age. A model of the aggregate-level dynamics of turnout between 1945 and 2001 indicate a substantial portion of the sharp decline in turnout that occurred in the 1997 and 2001 general elections was caused by the one-sided nature of the contests, coupled with the perception that the two major parties did not offer a distinctive menu of policy choices. Analyses suggest that the strong relationship between age and civic duty has a sizeable generational component.

Assessment of age, period, and cohort effects in the temporal variation of psychiatric disorders is important for understanding changes in the nature and magnitude of the effect of aetiologically important exposures, and the identification of particular cohorts with higher than expected rates of psychiatric disorders is vital for public health planning and intervention efforts. This chapter reviews evidence for age, period, and cohort effects in major depression, substance use disorders, and autism spectrum disorders in the USA—three disorders with sufficient evidence bases for robust inference across studies. Existing research supports a role for cohort effects in the incidence and prevalence of alcohol use disorders as well as cigarette and marijuana use, and autism diagnoses. Whereas cohort effects in major depression have been documented, the existence of cohort effects remains controversial due to data suggesting that a retrospective reporting bias may explain a large part of these results.

This chapter uses a life-course perspective to analysis changes in ethnic segregation levels in Britain. The results show residential desegregation across ages and ethnic groups through the 1990s, especially for young adults. Common migration experiences shape desegregation since young adults from all backgrounds move towards diverse urban areas and are mobile whereas older adults and families leave these areas. It is concluded that it is necessary to take age into account to understand the dynamics of ethnic residential segregation in Britain.

Are there generational differences in religion? Do Millennial youth have perceptions of religion and God that are distinctive from Generation Xers or Baby Boomers? This study found generational differences in views of God and in expressions of spirituality and trends across time that were gradual, starting in one age cohort and slowly developing through time. One trend involved an increasing internalization, or de-objectifying, of God with each successive cohort. The oldest—the WWI and the Depression Era generation respondents—described an all-powerful Heavenly Father evident in nature and “out there.” But Millennials portrayed a more personal, accessible God residing within the human spirit. Another generational trend reflected an increasing separation of religious practice from traditional church worship and religion. The growing emphasis on spirituality, first described by Early Boomers, increasingly separated devotional practices from religious institutions for a growing number of Gen Xers and Millennials who said they were “spiritual but not religious.”

This chapter introduces a framework for understanding the historical development of feminist engagements with rape and domestic violence in the United States and men’s emergence as allies. The life history method used in the research for the book is described, and three men’s stories are introduced to illustrate men’s feminist antiviolence engagements in three historical age cohorts who work to bring about change in institutions like the U.S. military, college sports, and high schools. Two key tensions that are discussed throughout the book are introduced: first, the shift over time from a politicized mass feminist movement to antiviolence work that is increasingly professionalized, bureaucratized, and depoliticized; second, the promise and contradictions that inhere when people from privileged groups (in this case, men) join as allies in a movement for social justice.

The interviewees are categorized according to age cohorts and types. Although there were few “nones” who volunteered to be interviewed from “The Greatest Generation” (1901?1924), there were many women and men who came forward from “The Silent Generation” (1925?1945), “The Baby Boomers” (1946?1964), “Gen X” (1965?1981), and “Millennials” (born after 1981). The most enthusiastic interviewees were Baby Boomers and women. Cutting across the generations were five distinct types: Dissenters (those who object to specific doctrines or practices in religion and have either left or drifted away), Casuals (those who take spirituality and religion on an “as-needed” basis), Explorers (those who have a spiritual “wanderlust,” like spiritual tourists), Seekers (those who are looking for a more or less permanent spiritual home), and Immigrants (those who are trying out a new religion or spirituality but, like immigrants, may be having difficulty adjusting). Examples and many illustrative quotes from each generation and type are given.

In order to better understand the experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans (LGBT) people within the health care and social services systems, researchers must overcome important difficulties inherent in trying to query these populations. This chapter addresses some of the challenges associated with internet based survey research with LGBT people. One of the difficulties in surveying these populations is establishing a sampling frame from which to draw. How many LGBT people are there? How should the researcher define sexual orientation? These difficulties are only compounded when researchers begin to examine international experiences of LGBT people. A dissertation project serves as an example in this discussion which was carefully constructed to maximize participation by using a Tailored Design Method and outing the researcher as a member of the LGBT community. A large quantitative sample (n = 1131) and a large qualitative sample (n = 870) were generated. This chapter discusses specific strategies for generating large and diverse samples by exploring both strengths and limitations of this research project. Topics include: outing the researcher; working with gatekeepers; framing the call for participation; and navigating heteronormative IRB systems.

This chapter examines age cohorts and their implications for organisations and members. It first considers young offenders and the institutional context of juvenile justice, with particular emphasis on the detention establishment, the impact of incarceration on young offenders, and the role of prison officers in dealing with young offenders. It then turns to a discussion of child labour and concludes by focusing on older people with dementia.

Undergraduate education can make it seem as though vocational reflection and discernment is a once-and-for-all event, in which students find sudden enlightenment about their futures. In reality, we continue to discern our vocations over the course of our entire lives. We can better understand this process with attention to sociological categories and particularly to the life course perspective. This approach emphasizes the importance of transitions and turning points, which are here illustrated in the lives of individuals who found their callings through a winding path. This perspective also demonstrates that the advantages and disadvantages that accrue to certain individuals (due to differences in race, class, and gender) have more than merely one-time effects; these experiences accumulate over time, creating a kind of sedimentation that amasses over the course of one’s life. Vocational discernment is most successful when it is attentive to these social factors.