Is the influence of the media the most important factor in determining the outcome of elections?

Question 1

Intro

Answer 1

Yes

• The more a party spends on social media, the more young votes they receive
• The large influence of broadcast media
• The increasing influence of televised debates

No

• Social media cannot decide elections as a whole
• Educational level is the most significant factor
• Religion plays a more significant role

Question 2

Para 1

Answer 2

Yes, the more a party spends on social media, the more young votes they receive
E.g. in 2017 the Labour Party spent £6,000 per candidate on social media, compared to £3,000 in 2019, and received 70% of the 18-24 year old vote in 2017 compared to 64% of the 18-24 year old vote in 2019 (Therefore, a more prominent presence on social media translates to a larger vote share within the young population)

No, social media cannot decide elections as a whole
E.g. the Labour Party spent more than any other party on social media campaigning in 2017, but did not win the election and lost 6 of their seats.
(Therefore, social media is not significant in determining elections as a whole as young voters account for a small proportion of the electorate)

Question 3

Para 2

Answer 3

Yes, the large influence of broadcast media
E.g. many tabloid newspapers endorsed the Conservative Party, such as the Sun. This resulted in the Conservative Party winning a large majority of 80 seats in the 2019 general election
(This therefore shows that print media can heavily influence elections as their support for the Conservatives convinced a large proportion of the electorate to vote for them)

No, educational level is the most significant factor as there is a more stark contrast between university educated individuals and those without degree qualifications
E.g. in the 2019 general election, 59% of those with no qualifications voted Conservative, whereas 39% of those with a degree or higher voted Labour
(Therefore, education can be argued to be the most significant factor since there is a wider divide between degree holders and those who did not attend university)

(US link)
In contrast, the educational level is much less significant in the US. For example, 54% of those with a high school education vote Republican, compared to 51% of bachelor degree holders voting Democrat.
(Therefore, educational level causes a much narrower divide in the US compared to the UK)

Question 4

Para 3

Answer 4

Yes, the increasing influence of televised debates
E.g. in 2010, the Conservative party extended their lead as a result of David Cameron’s performance in the televised debates
(Therefore, televised debates are very decisive and can make or break an election)

(US link)
Similarly, in the 2012 US election, Barack Obama won the second and third debate which led to him winning the election as a whole.

No, religion plays a more significant role than the media
E.g. 58% of Anglican voters vote Conservative, versus 85% of Muslim voters voting Labour
(Therefore, religion creates a greater divide amongst voters than televised debates)

(US link)
In the US, 60% of Protestants voted Republican and 66% of Muslims voted Democrat, therefore, religion is equally divisive in the US.

Question 5

Conc

Answer 5

No

• Social media cannot decide elections as a whole
• Educational level is the most significant factor
• Religion plays a more significant role