British Voter Behaviour Flashcards
Name the various factors that influence the way the individual votes in elections
- Party policy - unlikely to vote against self-interest
- Major issues - nationally or personally
- Actions of incumbent government
- Quality of party leader
- Quality of their local candidate
- Image of the Party
- Tactical voting - blocking a particular party with a vote because prefered party unlikely to win
What are the three theories used to describe the reasons an individual casts their ballot?
• Rational choice
• Issue voting
• Valance issues - a verdict on the government in power
There is also the recognition that people will vote out of party loyalty too, regardless of issues or policy
How has class voting changed since the 1970s?
Voter dealignment has occurred, class has become a less important factor in voter behaviour • AB and DE voters have remained strong aligned with a core party, AB = conservatives DE = Labour • C1 is typically conservative, but switched in 1997 (attributed to Labour shift to centre) • C2 also increasingly Conservative • 2017 saw the gap between Tories and Labour in each class shrink
Alongside a class dealignment what can be seen to have occurred?
A partisan dealignment within class voting, people are increasingly voting for other parties contributing to the decline in gap in class voting between the Tories and Labour decreasing
Describe the pattern of the AB vote in the 1979, 1997, 2010 and 2017 elections
‘79 - 59% Con
‘97 - 41% Con
‘10 - 39% Con
‘17 - 47% Con
Describe the pattern of the C1 vote in the 1979, 1997, 2010 and 2017 elections
‘79 - 59% Con (matches AB)
‘97 - 39% Lab
‘10 - 39% Con (matches AB)
‘17 - 44& Con
Describe the pattern of the C2 vote in the 1979, 1997, 2010 and 2017 elections
‘79 - 49% Lab
‘97 - 50% Lab
‘10 - 37% Con
‘17 - 45% Con
Describe the pattern of the DE vote in the 1979, 1997, 2010 and 2017 elections
‘79 - 57% Lab
‘97 - 59% Lab
‘10 - 40% Lab
‘17 - 47% Lab
What are considered “gendered” topics at elections?
- War, nuclear power, weapons are where opinions are seen to differ
- Core priorities are also seen to be different - men focused on foreign affairs, military strength whilst women focus on health and education policies
What are topics at elections that both genders are seen to vote the same way?
Economics - taxation, wages, budget plans
What do voter trends seem to indicate about gender voting?
- 1997 saw a shift, prior to this women much more likely to vote Conservative
- Men tend to vote Conservative across period
- Difference between Labour/Tory support within gender has decreased since 1997 indicating that gender is decreasing in its significance as a factor
- Women appear more likely to vote for other parties than men
Describe the vote breakdown for women in the 1979, 1997, 2010 and 2017 elections
‘79 Con (47:35)
‘97 Lab (42:37)
‘10 Lab (31:28)
‘17 Lab (40:42)
Describe the vote breakdown for men in the 1979, 1997, 2010 and 2017 elections
‘79 Con (43:40)
‘97 Lab (45:31)
‘10 Con (38:36)
‘17 Con (44:43)
How do parties attempt to influence voting behaviour based on age?
Create economic and social policy based upon the concerns of particular age brackets eg 18-24 = tuition fees, housing, 65+ = pensions, retirement, social provision
What key points can be made about age influencing vote?
- Prior to 1997 young people vote had minimal divide amongst parties, since then tended to favour Labour
- Older vote (55+) nearly always Conservative but level f support increasing
- Support for Conservatives increase as age increases
- Younger people have low turn out, explains decline in Labour success
