Chapter 11-voting behaviour and the role of media in politics Flashcards
What are the three key theories explain how individuals make their electoral choices?
Rational choice theory
Issue voting
Economic or valence issues
what is rational choice theory?
Assumes voters will make a rational or logical judgement based on what is in their own best interests. In an ideal version, voters will be fully informed about the various options and will choose the option best for them
What is issue voting?
Where issue voting takes place voters place one issue above all others and cast their votes based on that issue
What are economic or valence issues?
valence issue is one where voters share a common preference i.e desire for the country to be economically prosperous, people cast their vote therefor on who they believe is best placed to deliver a strong and successful economy
this idea is know as governing competency
What other factors affect individual voting?
policies key issues performance in office leadership image tactical voting
What is spatial leadership?
A style of leadership the prime minister relies on his or her own inner circle of advisers rather than the cabinet
Role of party leader is to?
- inspire party activists
- appear prime ministerial
- have a positive media presence
- appear strong in leading the party and if elected the nation
The 2015 successful party leader v the unsuccessful party leader?
Cameron- after 5 years of showing himself capable of being pm
Miliband- suffered from poor media presence and images of having ‘stabbed his brother in the back’ in the labour party leadership election
The 1983 successful party leader v the unsuccessful party leader?
Margaret thatcher-appeared as a strong nationalistic leader after victory in the Falklands war
-Micheal foot was considered scruffy and was particularly criticised for wearing a ‘donkey jacket’ when laying a wreath on Remembrance Sunday
The 2017 successful party leader v the unsuccessful party leader?
may- austere and arrogant May ran a poor campaign and lost seats but defeated
Corbyn- ideological who made gains but still suffered from party divisions and concerns about his competence
What does print media do in politics?
- Broadsheet media, usually seen as ‘highbrow’ these deal with weighty political debates and present information in a measured if partisan way
- Tabloid media, populist newspapers which focus more on sensation and entertainment
- magazines, can provide an important check and help to inform high level debates and satirical magazines produced detailed reports and scrutinise work of politicians
What does radio media do in politics?
- News headlines, has to give regular news broadcasts usually on the hour are basic informative headlines that present information
- Commercial radio, number of talk radio stations designed to engage in political discussion and debate
- BBC radio, many platforms for political discussion with a number of flagship political programmes which interview and challenge
What does TV media do in politics?
- News broadcasts, all terrestrial channels are obliged to have regular and impartial news broadcasts which occur at set times for a set duration
- Party political broadcats, 5-minute broadcasts that ccour at set times
- news channels, these provide 24 hour news coverage can hype events to make them appear more serious
- Political programming, involves extended interviews and discussion of political issues
What does online media do in politics?
- opinion polls
- blogs, provide sources of information and a forum for discussion
- twitter, can provide an informal poll to assess the popularity
- campaigning, will use viral videos, social media and other tools to test ideas
- websites
What are opinion polls?
A survey of public opinion from a sample of the population at a given moment. They are often used to determine the expected results of an election
