A level Politics on the up?

Details of national A level figures in today’s Telegraph suggest a recent surge of interest in study of Politics.

According to the paper, the number of Politics candidates this year is up an impressive 7.7% on last year, placing it 5th in the ranking list of the fastest growing subjects.

Obviously we can’t attribute this to some sort of Obama effect since the vast majority of the 13,392 candidates will have started their course well before Barack Obama became internationally known during his primary struggle with Hillary Clinton.

It should be noted that universities have detected an increased number of applications in the last couple of years. My personal theory is that it’s to do with resentment of the current government. Broad contentment in the incumbent government leads many no to bother questioning what’s going on. But as Labour have drifted towards what seems like the fag end days of their time in office, anger and resentment builds. I only say this since my anecdotal experience of the numbers I’ve taught the subject to have followed a similar trend. This year it seems my department will have to, unfortunately, turn people away as demand exceeds supply. Moreover, in the mid to late 1990s class numbers peaked as disgust at Tory sleaze and apparent incompetence grew. And thereafter numbers dipped as the country appeared to bask in the glory of the dawn of New Labour.

I wonder if a similar story can be assigned to the surge in Economics students too? Perhaps that’s a story for elsewhere on the tutor2u site?