A debate at the Houses of Parliament, organised by the leading market research company Ipsos MORI, promises to be packed with brilliant statistical analysis and intense argument. Antony Mason recommends you get your ticket now
Those of us lucky enough to see Bobby Duffy’s lecture at York University in September 2013 (at the Intergenerational Foundation’s Conference entitled “Intergenerational Justice: Obligations, Promises, Failures”) will know the persuasive power of Ipsos MORI’s statistics. He called it “Shifts in Generational Attitudes”, and showed the fruits of Ipsos Mori’s dedicated research in this area.
He also spoke tellingly of “emotional innumeracy”: public perceptions that turn out not to be supported by numerical evidence. Myth-busting is part and parcel of the struggle for intergenerational justice.
Two leading intergenerational authors
Such revelations will no doubt again be aired at an event on Thursday 8 May organised by Ipsos MORI at the Houses of Parliament, entitled “Generation Strains”.
Other speakers include authors of two of the most notable books on intergenerational justice: David Willetts, Minister of State for Universities and Science, author of The Pinch (and who, controversially, has overseen the tripling of university tuition fees), and Ed Howker, co-author (with Shiv Malik) of Jilted Generation: how Britain has bankrupted its youth. Ed Howker and Shiv Malik are both on the Advisory Board of the Intergenerational Foundation.
Details
As Ipsos MORI puts it:
“The event will outline our analysis of differences in attitudes and experience, and will ask our panel to respond with their own reflections on the importance of generational factors, compared with others such as class and wealth. This will be followed by questions from the audience and panel discussion.”
Date: Thursday, 8 May 2014, 7–8:30pm (Arrive early: you have to allow 20 minutes to clear House of Commons security)
Venue: Terrace Pavilion, Palace of Westminster/House of Commons
Entry is free of charge. Online booking: http://www.ipsos-mori.com/newsevents/events/132/Ipsos-MORI-Generations.aspx
Speakers:
- Bobby Duffy
Managing Director of Ipsos MORI’s Social Research Institute - Ed Howker
Journalist and co-author of Jilted Generation - Jeremy Warner
Assistant Editor of The Daily Telegraph - Yvonne Roberts
Chief Leader Writer at The Observer - The Rt Hon David Willetts MP
Minister of State for Universities and Science, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and author of The Pinch.