Evaluate The View That Class Remains The Most Important Social Factor Determining The Results Of Elections.

Question 1

1. Disagree, strong trends to show that class was important in elections, but is no longer the case. (Ev)

Answer 1

1. In 1979, it was much more split between Conservative and Labour with 59% of AB voters voting Conservative and 49% of DE voter voting Labour.
2. This was also the case in 1997, with 41% of AB voters voting Conservative and 59% of DE voters voting for Labour.
3. However, this trend is not as strong. 2019 45% of AB voters voted Conservative and 41% of DE voters voted Conservative (more than Labour).

Question 2

Why was there a link between social class and voting behaviour? (Ex)

Answer 2

1. Historic differences in party policies.
2. The Conservatives have a tradition of favouring low taxes and reduced welfare support.
3. Labour tended to favour policies that redistribute wealth.
4. Now a weakening of traditional political allegiances as voters increasingly do not make decisions based on their social class- class dealignment.

Question 3

Paragraph 2: Age as a competing factor (Ev)

Answer 3

1. In 2019, 62% of 18-24 year olds voted for Labour, compared to 64% of those aged 65+ who voted for the Conservatives.
2. This trend continued into 2024, where only 5% of 18-24 year olds voted for the Conservatives, whilst 43% of those aged 65+ voted for the Conservatives.

Question 4

Paragraph 2: Age (Ex and Eval)

Answer 4

1. Age appears to be a stronger indicator of voting than class, with younger generations being more progressive and older generations favouring traditional values.
2. Furthermore, age tends to cut across class lines, weakening the relevance of class-based voting.
3. Age is a more significant and consistent predictor of voting than social, as the gap between young and older voters widens.

Question 5

Paragraph 3: Region

Answer 5

1. London and the North have had strong Labour support, 50% and 61% respectively in 1997.
2. In Scotland, regional identity has taken over class as the key factor, with the SNP dominating election. In 2019, got 45% of the vote compared to Labour’s 19%.

Question 6

Paragraph 3: Region (Ex and Eval)

Answer 6

1. Regional divides in voting are increasingly driven by issues such as Brexit and economic inequality.
2. The ‘Red Wall’ shift in 2019, demonstrated how economic and cultural grievances in specific regions could override traditional class allegiances.
3. Social class interacts with other factors rather than being the dominant force.

Question 7

Paragraph 4: Ethnicity

Answer 7

1. Labour attracted 70% of BMA voters compared to the Conservatives’ 18%.
2. This was partly due to Labour’s assocation with social justice and welfare policies.
3. 2019, BME 64% Labour. This dropped to 33% in 2024.
4. Ethnicity is becoming less significant on its own and more tied to issues of economic status and regional identity.