Do Trade Unions Make Their Members More Left‐Wing? Evidence From the United Kingdom

ABSTRACT

A large body of literature suggests that trade unions can make their members more left‐wing. Using panel data from the British Household Panel Survey and the United Kingdom Household Longitudinal Study , I investigated this claim, focussing on how unions shape their members' views on economic and social issues, political participation, and voting behaviour. When analysing the data using ordinary least squares, the estimates suggested that union members are more progressive than non‐members. However, when using fixed‐effects models, I found that union membership increases support for unions, but has little or no effect on other political beliefs. These findings suggest that while individuals in unions are more likely to have progressive values and to vote for the left, these primarily reflect compositional effects. I discuss the limited impact of union membership on political behaviour in light of theories of long‐term political socialisation, suggesting that many of the core ways in which unions shape working‐class politics may not depend on individual membership of a union itself.