5. What is the voting context model of voting behaviour Flashcards
What is the voting context model of voting behaviour?
Voting Context Model:
- Argues that voting behaviour will vary depending on the type of election, and the circumstances facing each voter
- The consequences of an individual’s vote can vary greatly in different elections
What are by-elections? When are they held?
Elections held to fill positions in between general elections – most commonly because the incumbent MP has resigned or died
Why is voting behaviour usually so different in by-elections to General Elections?
Because usually voters have already seen how the government has been performing so can compare the governments performance with their own expectations
what is protest voting
Protest voting – where voters do not vote for their preferred party in order to send a message that they are unhappy with its current performance
Why was there such a large swing in the 2014 Clacton by-election?
Because the incumbent MP resigned and re-ran for a different party
- This meant there was a 60% swing to UKIP in the 2014 by-election as there was no UKIP candidate in the 2010 GE
What is tactical voting
Tactical voting:
- where voters do not vote for their first choice because they have little chance of winning in their constituency
- they instead vote for their second choice, who has a better chance of defeating the party they dislike the most
what are exit polls
Exit polls:
- voters are asked how they just voted on election day
what are opinion polls
Opinion polls:
- surveys asking people how they intend to vote
- carried out by professional polling companies – hired by newspapers and the parties
what is the bandwagon effect
Bandwagon effect:
- voters will ‘jump on the bandwagon’ and vote for the leading party
what is the boomerang effect
Boomerang effect:
- voters sympathise with the underdog, while the leading party becomes complacent
