Anthony Heath: Annual Report 2000-2001

Anthony Heath has had his time for research severely curtailed since taking on the headship of the Department of Sociology. However he has attempted to continue his work with colleagues in CREST on various aspects of political behaviour, in particular collaborating with Bob Andersen on the social bases of political attitudes and political behaviour, on the role of local social context in voting behaviour, and on the social bases of national identity and nationalist sentiments in England, Wales and Scotland. He has also been working with Bob Andersen and Richard Sinnott (UCD) on the question of whether lack of political knowledge leads voters to make 'incorrect' choices.

In addition he has continued to work on ethnic minority disadvantage in Britain, comparing the experiences in the labour market of first and second generation members of the minorities. The research is suggesting that the second generation, born and educated in Britain, have been catching up with British-born whites in their occupational attainments, providing they are lucky enough to have paid work. However, they continue to suffer substantial 'ethnic penalties' in the search for paid work and continue to have much higher unemployment rates than whites. Anthony Heath has been preparing a report on the explanation of ethnic minority disadvantage for the Cabinet Office.

Publications

(with R M Jowell and J K Curtice), The Rise of New Labour: Party Politics and Voter Choices. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.

(with N D De Graaf and A Need) 'Declining Cleavages and Political Choices: The Interplay of Social and Political Factors in the Netherlands', Electoral Studies, 20, 2000.

(with J Curtice) 'Is the English Lion about to Roar? National Identity after Devolution', in R Jowell et al (eds.) British Social Attitudes: The 17th Report, London: Sage, 2000.

(with K Kearley, and G K Freeman) 'An Exploration of the Value of the Personal Doctor-Patient Relationship in General Practice', British Journal of General Practice, 51, 2001.