4. Voting Behaviour and the Media

Question 1

Why have the Conservatives begun to draw increasing support from the working classes in modern Britain? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 1

The Conservative party has begun to draw increasing support from the working class on account of their holding of more traditional social values and of the aspiration to become middle class. This can also be linked to DEFERENCE, where a ruling class of higher social standing is accepted and encouraged.

Question 2

How can gender be said to have influence over voting behaviour? (In the past and present) - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 2

In the post-war period, Labour appealed to male-dominated trade unionism while under Heath and Thatcher, the Conservative Party tried to make an impression upon housewives and women living ‘traditional lives’. Nowadays, it is recognised that there are minimal discrepancies between male and female voting.

Question 3

How can ethnicity be said to be influential over voting behaviour? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 3

Different ethnic communities largely fall into one social group or another, with many immigrants to the UK voting Labour as they mainly fall within the C2DE class, while Indian and (now) Jewish Communities are more inclined towards the Conservatives.

Question 4

How can age be said to have influence over voting behaviour? (Voting turnout and decisions) - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 4

Younger voters tend to be more liberal and outgoing on account of a rebellious nature and limited living experience, yet older voters are more conservative due to the desire to protect assets and secure economic prosperity. Younger people are also more apathetic towards voting, whereas turnout increases with age.

Question 5

How does region affect how people vote in Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 5

Scotland has seen a heavy SNP/other left wing party leaning based around calls for Scottish independence from the UK.
Northern Ireland is represented by its own group of parties which represent the factional nature of society and government in the country.

Question 6

How does region affect how people vote in Wales and Northern England respectively? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 6

In Wales, Labour is dominant as a working class area, with post-industrial towns dominated by the left. Also has a nationalist presence with Plaid Cymru.
Northern England was previously a bastion for Labour for similar reasons as Wales is, yet in 2019 fell to the Conservatives due to their stance on Brexit.

Question 7

How does region affect how people vote in London and Southern England? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 7

In London, the area is perceived as a liberal and metropolitan part of the country, leaning towards Labour and the Lib Dems rather than the Conservatives.
The South is a Conservative dominated zone, with the area being the wealthiest in England and having high home ownership.

Question 8

How has Brexit changed voting patterns in terms of social class? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 8

The Brexit Referendum has seen working classes (who mainly voted to Leave) shift decisively towards the Brexit-supporting Conservative Party and away from Labour (who were seen to have been reluctant to take a solid stance on Brexit), with this changing the traditional working class support of Labour to the Conservatives.

Question 9

Which ethnicities/religions tend to support the Conservative Party and the Labour Party respectively? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 9

The Conservative Party now has consistent support within the Hindu and Sikh communities, as well as with some Indian groups, whereas Muslim and Black groups now predominantly support the Labour Party.

Question 10

What impact does age seemingly have on turnout? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 10

Younger age groups have consistently had a significantly decreased turnout compared to older voters, with older groups largely in support of the Conservative Party. This has meant that the Conservatives have an enlarged support base compared to Labour.

Question 11

What impact does class seemingly have on turnout? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 11

Class has largely seen increased turnouts among upper class social groups (such as ABC1) with this significantly down within lower middle and working class groups (like C2DE).

Question 12

How do salient issues seemingly impact voting choice? When has this previously been seen? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 12

Particularly salient issues may often sway the electorate to approve particularly of one party or another based on their stance. This can be seen in 2019 with the Conservative and Labour Parties’ opposing stances on Brexit.

Question 13

How does governing competency impact voting choices? When has this been seen before? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 13

An assessment can be made by the electorate of the qualities and abilities of each party, with this used to form an opinion on whether this will create a competent executive. This was used in 1997 when Labour was elected over the Conservatives and again in 2010, when they lost their mandate from the electorate after the 2008 Financial Crash.

Question 14

How does a party or leader’s image seemingly impact voting choices? When has this been seen before? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 14

The image of a party or leader can often prove to be incredibly decisive or potentially damaging to a party at election, as any negative media portrayal can result in serious harm to a campaign. This can be seen through media campaigns against Miliband and Corbyn in 2015/19 as well as negative portrayals of Major in 1997.

Question 15

How can policies of parties seemingly impact voting choices? When has this been seen before? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 15

Policies on certain issues may influence voting as people weigh up the pledges of a party and use this to formulate a judgement on who they should vote in favour of. This can be seen to have worked against May in 2017 with the ‘dementia tax’ and Corbyn in 2019 with his Brexit stance.

Question 16

What % of ABC1 voters voted for the Conservatives in 1983? What % voted for Labour? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 16

55% of ABC1 voters voted for the Conservatives in 1983, with only 16% voting for Labour.

Question 17

What % of women voted for the Conservatives in 1983 compared to the % voting for them in 1974? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 17

46% of women voted for the Conservatives in 1983, compared to 39% in 1974.

Question 18

What % of DE voters voted for the Conservatives in 1983? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 18

33% of DE voters (traditionally Labour supporting) voted for the Conservatives in 1983.

Question 19

What % of the vote did the Alliance take in 1983? What % of seats did this translate to? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 19

The Alliance took 25.4% of the vote, only translating into 4% of seats.

Question 20

What % of the vote in London did Labour take in 1997? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 20

Labour took 49% of the vote in London in 1997.

Question 21

By what % did Labour’s share of the ABC1 vote rise by in 1997? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 21

Labour’s share of the ABC1 vote rose by 12% in the 1997 General Election.

Question 22

What % of over 65s voted for Labour in 1997? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 22

41% of over 65s voted for Labour in 1997.

Question 23

What was the % swing towards Labour in the 1997 General Election? How many seats gained did this translate to? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 23

Labour achieved an 8.8% swing of the vote towards them, with this leading to an increase of 1/4 of the Commons seats on the last election.

Question 24

What % of over 70s voted Conservative in 2017? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 24

69% of over 70s voted for the Conservatives in 2017.

Question 25

What % of ABC1 voters voted for Labour and the Conservatives respectively in 2017? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 25

44% of ABC1 voters voted Conservative, while 40% voted for Labour.

Question 26

What % of C2DE voters voted for Labour and the Conservatives respectively in 2017? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 26

44% of C2DE voters voted Conservative, with 42% voting for Labour.

Question 27

What % of those with degree education voted for Labour in 2017? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 27

49% (or nearly HALF) of all degree educated voters voted for Labour in 2017.

Question 28

What percentage of low skilled (GCSE or below) voters voted for the Conservatives in 2017? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 28

55% of low skilled voters voted Conservative in 2017.

Question 29

For every 10 years older a voter was in 2017, by how many percentage points did their chance of voting Conservative increase by? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 29

For every 10 years that a voter aged by in 2017, their chances of voting Conservative increased by 9 percentage points.

Question 30

In what context was the 1983 General Election called? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 30

The 1983 Election was called by Thatcher following the UK’s victory in the Falklands, providing a much needed boost to her party’s popularity after she had been the least popular PM in the modern era. Unemployment had reached 3 million as a result of neoliberalism.

Question 31

What was the state of the Labour Party in the 1983 General Election? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 31

The Labour Party had become extremely disunited, with the ‘Gang of Four’ leaving to form the Alliance with the Liberal Party, having become disaffected from Labour by Michael Foot’s socialist agenda. Their manifesto was also dubbed ‘the longest suicide note in history.’

Question 32

What were the results of the 1983 General Election for CON, LAB, SDP/LIB? (Seats and Vote Share) - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 32

CON - 397 Seats on 42.4%
LAB - 209 Seats on 27.6%
SDP/LIB - 21 Seats on 25.4%

Question 33

What was Labour’s share of the vote in 1983? Why was this? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 33

Labour only took 27.6% of the vote in 1983, with this largely down to the split vote on the Left after many voters defected to the Alliance Party.

Question 34

How was the FPTP electoral system significant in diminishing the Alliance? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 34

FPTP meant that, although the Alliance was able to take 1/4 of the vote share, they only managed to take 23 seats (fewer than 4% of the total available). This was because they could not dominate individual constituencies enough to secure a plurality, and as such they only succeeded in splitting the left-wing vote.

Question 35

In what context was the 1997 General Election called? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 35

The 1997 General Election was called in light of allegations of sleaze and corruption within the Major government, as well as major economic troubles after the pound fell out of the European ERM to much national embarrassment.

Question 36

What were the results of the 1997 General Election for CON, LAB, LIB? (Seats and Vote Share) - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 36

LAB - 418 Seats on 43.2%
CON - 165 Seats on 30.7%
LIB - 46 Seats on 16.8%

Question 37

Describe the campaign of John Major in 1997 - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 37

Major campaigned for 6 weeks rather than the usual 4, intending to put pressure on Blair. However, this only accentuated the instability of his own situation when he had prolonged periods where he needed to deal with allegations of sleaze and corruption.

Question 38

Describe the campaign of Tony Blair in 1997 - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 38

Blair campaigned on the differences between himself and Major in 1997, arguing that Major was incompetent as a governor and that Blair was far better placed to undertake this task. Also used sound bites to make policies memorable. Also drew SUPPORT FROM THE SUN to boost their campaign.

Question 39

In what context was the 2017 General Election called? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 39

The 2017 General Election was called following Theresa May’s struggles to pass her Brexit withdrawal agreement through, as well as no defined mandate for what to bargain for with Brussels. May sought this mandate through an election, hoping that it would secure her a Commons majority to allow her to properly negotiate.

Question 40

What were the results of the 2017 Election for CON, LAB, LIB (Seats and Vote Share)? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 40

CON - 317 Seats with 42.4%
LAB - 262 Seats with 40%
LIB - 12 Seats with 7.4%

Question 41

Which social factors were significant in the 1983 general election? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 41

‘Traditional’ class, region and age attitudes prevailed in 1983, with CON dominating ABC1 and LAB dominating C2DE. Thatcher appealed to women more as the first female PM. Conservatives had increased vote share due to the enlarged middle class.

Question 42

What social factors were significant in the 1997 General Election? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 42

Class was a major contributing factor in 1997, with the enlarged middle class (from neoliberalism) being a target by Labour’s centrist policies. The party also became popular in metropolitan, city areas, while their popularity with ethnic minorities continued. Many older voters also voted for New Labour.

Question 43

What social factors were significant in the 2017 General Election? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 43

Age was a major factor in determining voting in 2017, with the younger (more liberal) vote turning out for Labour while the elderly (who largely supported Brexit) voted Conservative. Education was significant also, with degree educated voters much more likely to vote Labour than they were Conservative.

Question 44

What individual voting behaviour was largely adopted by the electorate in 1983? Why? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 44

1983 saw rational choice voting dominate, with Thatcher perceived to be a leader with charisma and leadership who had policies to handle a specific set of issues. Furthermore, Thatcher’s manifesto was seen as much more legitimate than Foot’s, which was dubbed ‘the longest suicide note in history.’

Question 45

What individual voting behaviour was largely adopted by the electorate in 1997? Why? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 45

1997 saw valence dominate, with this due to Blair’s impression upon the electorate as a leader compared to Major and arguably the narrowing of the gap between the party policies of New Labour and CON. Major’s government also proved to being error prone and rife with corrupt elements.

Question 46

What individual voting behaviour was largely adopted by the electorate in 2017? Why? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 46

Issue voting dominated in 2017, with the main point of contention being Brexit due to the lack of agreed direction of negotiation by the electorate. Much of the decision making by voters was based on this specific issue. Valence had some significance in that Corbyn had character and charisma in amassing young, liberal support.

Question 47

How significant was FPTP in the 1983 General Election? Why? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 47

FPTP was decisive in producing 1983’s result given that the Alliance took 25.4% of the vote, with this only translating to 23 Commons seats. Given Labour’s vote losses, it is clear that there was a split left-wing vote, with this allowing the Conservatives to dominate individual constituencies across the country.

Question 48

How significant was FPTP in the 1997 General Election? Why? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 48

FPTP was still very important in 1997, with an 8.8% LAB swing translating into a 25% increase in Commons seats. On contrast, a -11.2% CON swing saw them lose 25% of their Commons seats.

Question 49

How significant was FPTP in the 2017 General Election? Why? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 49

FPTP was only important to a very minor extent in 2017, with both major parties achieving a combined 82% of the popular vote. These 2 parties in turn took most Commons seats on offer, with this resulting in neither party taking a majority.

Question 50

How was the role of the media significant in the 1983 General Election? Why? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 50

Prior to the election, Thatcher undertook 16 interviews in an attempt to boost her image and publicity. She was also the subject of the documentary ‘The Woman at No. 10’, with this all working to publicise her while Foot was a figure in comparative obscurity.

Question 51

How was the role of the media important in the 2017 General Election? Why? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 51

In the 2017 Election, the media was crucial in reporting and following the wider campaign, as well as reporting policies and televising debates (although May did not attend the BBC one). However, had no real increased significance here.

Question 52

Why was the campaign important in the 2017 Election? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 52

The campaign in 2017 was far shorter and more spontaneous than in other elections due to the ‘snap’ nature of the election. This meant that individual parties had rushed policies and manifestos, which partially proved to be CON’s downfall with the proposed ‘Dementia Tax’. Also meant that there was potential for rapid shifts in public support.

Question 53

When has it been claimed by a Newspaper that their support was crucial in a political victory? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 53

Following the 1992 General Election, The Sun claimed that ‘It’s the Sun Wot Won It’ for the Conservative Party after it had been expected that they would lose to Neil Kinnock’s Labour. This was after The Sun had run a campaign against Kinnock and Labour.

Question 54

When did the Sun switch political allegiance to major effect? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 54

The Sun supported Tony Blair’s ‘New Labour’ from 1997 until it switched to the Conservatives in 2010, with this due to Blair cultivating a relationship between himself and its owner Rupert Murdoch. This was seen as a decisive shift and may have led to many previously non-Labour supporters backing the party, generating the 1997 landslide.

Question 55

When has social media been seen to influence political choices in recent years? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 55

Social media was crucial in 2016 for the Brexit Referendum, with the company Cambridge Analytica used to target advertising at a particular type of voter who may have previously been disaffected from traditional Westminster politics.

Question 56

Which newspaper is the most influential on readers’ opinions on parties? Which newspapers follow this? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 56

The Daily Mail is the most influential newspaper on readers’ opinions on parties, with the Guardian and Times following these.

Question 57

How many newspapers were in daily circulation in 2011? How many circulated in 2016? What does this indicate? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 57

14 million newspapers were in circulation daily in 2011, down to 11 million in 2016. This indicates a decline in the significance of print media and an increase in online media’s importance.

Question 58

What % of Daily Mail readers support its preferred party? How does this compare to the Times’ readership? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 58

74% of Daily Mail readers support the Conservative Party, it’s preferred party. 58% of Times readers support its main party, the Conservative Party.

Question 59

Between which years have the Sun backed the winning party at General Elections? What does this indicate? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 59

Between 1979 and 2019, the Sun has backed the winning party at General Elections. This indicates that the paper either supports already victorious parties or has major influence on its readers’ voting habits.

Question 60

What % of the UK electorate approved of Boris Johnson and his government in December 2021? - Voting Behaviour and the Media

Answer 60

Only 20% of the UK electorate approved of Boris Johnson and his government in December 2021.