Klasstillhörighet och partipreferenser -

Sammanfattning: This thesis examines the Oesch class schema in a Swedish context, and tests its ability to unveil cleavages in political preferences. The Oesch class schema operationalizes class by profession. It adds horizontal divisions based on different work logics to the vertical divisions which schemata such as ESEC build on. Two cleavages are thus captured, an economic (left-right) and a sociocultural (libertarian-authoritarian) one. The work logics are assumed to influence a person's position mainly on the libertarian-authoritarian dimension, but their explanatory power for position on both dimensions is tested. The analysis is based on coding of individuals in the Swedish SOM 2010 survey. T-tests are used to find significant differences in party preferences. Multinomial logistic regression is used to test the effect of different work logics. The results show that the Oesch class schema successfully unveil systematic differences along the two dimensions, which are shown to exist in Sweden. The work logics provide a useful theoretical basis for the schema, but their explanatory power does not seem to hold. Position on the authoritarian-libertarian scale is predominantly determined by education level and direction. Position on the left-right scale is mostly explained by income, which is assumed to operate independently of work logic.