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Recent years have seen the rise of so-called ‘culture wars’, both in the UK and elsewhere. Political and public discourse has seemingly become more focused on a debate between social conservatives and social liberals about the rights and recognition of minorities – including those from an ethnic minority background and LGBT people – and women, instead of a debate between left and right about economic and class inequality. This debate not only draws attention to the direction of public policy now, but also raises questions about Britain’s past, including not least its empire and its association with slavery. While in that debate liberals seek further change in current public policy, many conservatives still wish to honour the UK’s past.

In this Holyoake Lecture, Professor Curtice will address three questions. First, how much have public attitudes changed over the last 40 years on some of the issues at the centre of the ‘culture wars’ debate? Second, why has the public shifted its attitudes? And, third, to what extent has the division between liberals and conservatives now become a key dividing line in Britain’s politics? He will conclude by considering the possible implications for the future of the ‘culture wars’ debate.

About Professor Sir John Curtice

Professor Sir John Curtice is Professor of Politics at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland, and Senior Research Fellow, National Centre for Social Research, and the ESRC’s ‘The UK in a Changing Europe’ initiative. He has written extensively about voting behaviour in elections and referendums in the UK, as well as on British political and social attitudes more generally. He has been a co-editor of NatCen’s annual British Social Attitudes reports since 1994, and is a regular contributor to British and international media coverage of politics in the UK, including as co-host of the Trendy podcast and as a member of the BBC’s election night team. He was President of the British Polling Council between 2008 and 2024.

Curtice is Chief Commentator at two websites, whatscotlandthinks.org and whatukthinks.org/eu, that provide a comprehensive collection of materials on public attitudes towards how Scotland should be governed, and the UK’s relationship with the EU. He is a Fellow of the British Academy, the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Academy of the Social Sciences and is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society and the Market Research Society.

About the Holyoake Lecture series

The Holyoake Lecture explores an aspect of politics or contemporary social or political issue, especially as it relates to secularist and humanist issues, including liberalism, democracy, social justice, feminism, anti-racism, LGBT rights, or equality. The Holyoake medallist has made a significant contribution in one of these fields.

The lecture and medal are named for the 19th-century humanist George Jacob Holyoake, who among many other achievements coined the word ‘secularism’ and was a lifelong progressive political activist.