C1- Voting Behaviour and the Media

Question 1

What is psephology?

Answer 1

The study of elections and trends in voting

Question 2

What is a long-term/social factor?

Answer 2

Refers to the stable and usually unchanging differences between people such as social class, age gender and ethnicity.

Question 3

What is a short-term factor?

Answer 3

Refers to volatile and changeable influences such as rational decision making, the state of the economy and the media.

Question 4

What is class alignment?

Answer 4

The commitment of a particular social class to a political party.

Question 5

What is class de-alignment?

Answer 5

Social classes voting in fewer numbers for the political party they would traditionally vote for.

Question 6

What party do the working class traditionally support?

Answer 6

Labour

Question 7

What party do the middle class traditionally support?

Answer 7

Conservatives

Question 8

1964 NEED TO KNOW STATISTIC

Answer 8

Labour = 64% of DE voters
Conservatives = 78% of AB voters

Question 9

2017 Labour support among DE voters

Answer 9

59%

Question 10

2017 Conservative support among AB voters

Answer 10

43%

Question 11

2019 Conservative support

Answer 11

41% of DE voters
45% of AB voters

Question 12

2019 Labour support

Answer 12

39% of DE voters
30% of AB voters

Question 13

2024 Labour support

Answer 13

34% of DE voters
36% of AB voters

Question 14

2024 Conservative support

Answer 14

23% of DE voters
27% of AB voters

Question 15

Why do older voters vote Conservative?

Answer 15

Lower taxation
Strong law and order

Question 16

Why do younger voters vote Labour?

Answer 16

More welfare
Green/net zero policies

Question 17

Average age of a Tory voter in 2019 vs 2024?

Answer 17

39 in 2019 vs 63 in 2024

Question 18

Younger Voters 2019

Answer 18

21% = Tory
56% = Labour

Question 19

Younger Voters 2024

Answer 19

8% = Tory
41% = Labour

Question 20

Older Voters 2019

Answer 20

67% = Tory
14% = Labour

Question 21

Older Voters 2024

Answer 21

43% = Tory
23% = Labour

Question 22

Who did men traditionally support and why?

Answer 22

Labour due to their close ties with the unions

Question 23

Who did women traditionally support and why?

Answer 23

Conservatives due to their policies appealing to housewives

Question 24

Who do men support now?

Answer 24

Conservative due to their policies to reduce immigration

Question 25

Who do women support now?

Answer 25

Labour due to their greater prioritisation of healthcare and education

Question 26

Gender vote in 1979 and 2019

Answer 26

Both men and women supported Conservatives

Question 27

Gender vote in 1997 and 2024

Answer 27

Both men and women supported Labour

Question 28

Gender vote in 2017

Answer 28

Men voted Conservative, women voted Labour

Question 29

2019 Gender evidence

Answer 29

46% of men and 43% of women voted conservative

Question 30

2024 Tory gender vote

Answer 30

26% of women voted Tory vs 23% of men

Question 31

Partisan alignment in 1964 vs 2019?

Answer 31

48% in 1964 vs 15% in 2019

Question 32

Combined Conservative/Labour vote shares in decline

Answer 32

89% in 1970 vs 57% in 2025

Question 33

What regions tend to vote Conservative?

Answer 33

Rural and southern areas- blue wall

Question 34

What regions tend to vote Labour?

Answer 34

Urban areas and northern areas- red wall

Question 35

Why do ethnic minorities tend to vote for Labour?

Answer 35

Labour are more pro-immigration, ethnic minorities tend to earn lower incomes and come from the working class and live in more urban areas. Whereas the Tories have an emphasis on reducing immigration.

Question 36

Ethnic Minority voting 2019

Answer 36

64% for Labour vs 20% for Conservatives

Question 37

Ethnic minority voting 2024

Answer 37

46% for Labour vs 17% for Conservatives

Question 38

Ethnic minority voting 1997

Answer 38

70% for Labour vs 18% for Conservatives

Question 39

What is valence voting?

Answer 39

When voters make a personal judgement of how much they trust competing parties to deliver. eg. economic competence, leadership

Question 40

What is instrumental voting?

Answer 40

Part of rational choice voting. When voters decide who to vote for based on which party they think will bring them most benefit. eg. higher incomes/lower taxes

Question 41

What are salient issues?

Answer 41

The most important issues for voters. Eg. economy, cost of living, immigration

Question 42

What is expressive voting?

Answer 42

Voting for the party a voter believes will bring most benefit to the country.

Question 43

What is rational choice voting?

Answer 43

Voting for the party people think will benefit them.

Question 44

What is positional voting?

Answer 44

Voting for a party that shares your views on a salient issue. Eg. greens and climate change or reform and immigration