Politics and Old Age: Older Citizens and Political Processes in Britain

This title was first published in 2001. Older people have been characterized by two mutually contradictory stereotypes. One the one hand they have been portrayed as a powerful lobby, growing demographically and able to demand large redistributions of the nation’s income in their direction. On the other hand they have been typified as a marginalized group at high risk of poverty and exclusion and, in a political context, largely powerless. This book examines, using original research conducted by the Older People and Politics Project (OPPOL) within Exeter University’s Sociology Department, the reality of the impact of the increasing number of older people on the British political process. The project had three main investigative concerns: how effective are pressure groups and lobbyists for older people?; how is the power and influence of older people perceived by older people themselves and the general public?; and how are politicians responding to older people and their needs?