Do we really become more conservative with age? | James Tilley

The accepted wisdom is that the young are more radical than the old. But is this true, and if it is, why should our politics change with the years?

Any man who is under 30, and is not a liberal, has no heart; and any man who is over 30, and is not a conservative, has no brains.

This maxim - variously attributed to Winston Churchill, Benjamin Disraeli and Victor Hugo, among others - neatly captures the common notion that to be on the left of the political spectrum is to be young and idealistic, while to be on the right is to be older and more pragmatic. But is there any evidence for this?

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