4. Voting Behaviour and the Media Flashcards
Who became the Prime Minister as a result of the 1979 general election?
Margaret Thatcher
What majority was there in 1979?
43
What turnout was there in the 1979 election?
76%
How did party policies and manifestos influence the 1979 election?
Both Labour and Conservative manifestos were notable for their moderation - high priority to bringing inflation down
What were the election campaigns like in 1979?
Labour campaigned lacked awareness of the finer points of presentation
Conservative won in opinion polls
Thatcher turned down televised debates
What was the wider political context of 1979?
Conservative party Conference IRA plotted a bomb for Margaret Thatcher
Weakness of Labour Government
Callaghan did not call an election in 1978 - triggered by a withdrawal of support
Winter of Discontent
Media showed Callaghan returning from Caribbean when Britain was struggling
Who became Prime Minister as a result of the 1997 general election?
Tony Blair
What majority was there in 1997?
179
What was the turnout in 1979?
71.4%
How did party policies and manifestos influence the election outcome?
1997
Tony Blair drove forward the policy of modernisation - tough on law and order
Labour endorsed by press
Common ground with Liberal Democrats on constitutional reform
How did election campaigns influence the 1997 election?
Labour employed public relation experts to handle the media
Blair gave interviews at home and gave off the view of a normal life
What was the wider political context of the 1997 election?
Economic Policy played an important role - economy recovering from recession and Conservatives lost their views as being effective handlers of the economy
Numerous financial and sex scandals of the Conservatives
Who became Prime Minister in the 2010 general election?
Coalition Government between Conservatives and Liberal Democrats
What was the 2010 election result?
Coalition result?
No majority achieved
Coalition had a majority of 77
Turnout of 2010 election
65.1%
How did party policies and manifestos influence the election outcome?
1997
Little difference between three parties
Spending cuts differed to handle the 2008 financial crash aftermath
How did election campaigns influence the 1997 election?
Conservatives had begun targeting marginal seats
Televised debates held
What was the wider political context of 2010?
2008 financial crash
Choice of election date was bad for Brown
Brown harshly treated by media
What are the trends we can see in voting behaviour?
8
- Leadership
- Class
- Region
- Valence
- Ethnicity
- Gender
- Age
- Issue voting
What is class de-alignment?
When an individual no longer identify with the stereotypes of belonging to a certain class and the party associated with that
What are the class trends in voting behaviour?
Working Class People - Labour
Middle Class People - Conservative
Voters in higher classes tend to vote Conservative
How is class voting not relevant to todays society?
Decline of heavy industry’s reduced trade union power
Tony Blair broadened the appeal of the party
People are becoming more affluent and aspiring to middle class ways of life - the differences are no longer visible
What is partisan dealignment?
Process where individuals no longer identify themselves on a long-term basis as being associated with a certain political party
Why has there been a decline in partisan alignment?
Bonds of family and influence of workplace have weakened
More people have become swing voters
Disillusion and apathy
What is rational choice theory?
The idea that voters behave like consumers, deciding how to vote by evaluating what is the most beneficial option fir them as individuals
What is governing competency?
The ability fo the governing party to manage the affairs of the state effectively
How is rational choice theory influencing election results and voters?
Voters choose the party most aligned with their preferences and needs.
Influenced by who is the most competent Prime Minister and the managing of the economy
What are the stereotypical voting patterns of gender?
Women have a slightly stronger preference for the Conservatives than men
Younger women tend to vote Labour in the Blair Era than men
Old women tend to be Conservative
What are the stereotypical voting patterns of age?
Older people have a greater tendency to vote Conservative than the young.
Older people more likely to vote
What are the stereotypical voting patterns of ethnicity?
Ethnic minorities are more inclined to vote Labour
What are the stereotypical voting patterns of regions?
Most voters in the South have a stronger preference for Conservatives
North have a preference for Labour
What type of media is there to influence politics?
Newspapers - print press Radio News Programmes Social Media Online Media Opinion Polls
What newspapers are typically aligned with Labour?
Daily Mirror
The Guardian
What newspapers are typically aligned with Conservatives?
The Sun
Daily Mail
Daily Telegraph
The Times
How do newspapers influence the elections?
Present a bias and can be readily reached online
What are opinion polls?
Polls that aim to gauge the popularity of political parties by asking a sample of how people intend to vote
How are opinion polls influencing elections?
Show voting trends
They have been inaccurate in which they fail to predict what is going to happen.
How does a media bias influence elections?
Newspapers are partisan and will alter their allegiance in response to changing circumstances
Television is less biased and terrestrial television. must be balanced
How much influence do the media have on the public?
Most people read newspapers which reflect their existing political views and so remain narrow minded
Importance of press as a reflection of public opinion is important
Press may shape political agenda when covering issues
Bias helps to form wrong views
Social media is unregulated
Evidence Broadcasting has an influence
BBC has been accused as having a liberal or left-wing bias
Leadership debates do provide some impact on the electorate. 2010 debates - Nick Clegg’s popularity increased but did receive a decline in voter share in the election
Evidence Broadcasting does not have an influence
Bound by law to remain neutral and offer balanced reporting
Debates are overseen by the Electoral Commission
Evidence Press has an influence
The Sun claimed to have predicted a Labour win in 1997
No press regulation
Evidence Press does not have an influence
Newspapers tend to reflect typical political attitudes of the day
Many remain non-partisan
Evidence that social media does have an influence
Social media works from algorithms which presents information that is designed to fit with user interests
Social media is unregulated
Social media heavily influences young people
Evidence social media does not have influence
Main way of parties communicating with the public and listening to public opinion
It is very hard for one party to gain an advantage
Evidence that Public Opinion Polls have an influence
They may affect voting behaviour. 2015 - polls predicted a close heat between the two main parties
Inaccurate polling through sampling may lead to an influence on voting behaviour
Evidence that Public Opinion Polls have not had an influence
Many view them at face value because they have been inaccurate
