Media and voting influence examples Flashcards
Which newspaper was seen as highly influential in the 1992 election?
After the election results came out, the Sun newspaper published headlines claiming “It’s the sun wot won it”. In what was a very close elction, John Major’s Conservative defied expectations to win with a 21 seat majority. The final result saw Conservative’s gain 14,093,007 (41.9%) to Labour’s 34.4%. The turnout was 77.7%, the highest it had been for 18 years and the number of votes for the Conservatives remains the highest won by a single party at any election. A number of Conservative MPs credited the Sun with at least part of its victory and losing labour leader Kinnock blamed the Sun for defeat after it ran a negative personal campaign against him.
How have parties tried to aim their campaign at women?
x4 examples
In 2019, nearly all parties had clear policies to address gender inequalities, including a Conservative commitment to further tackle issues relating to violence against women and Labour commiting to a violence against women commissioner
In 2015, Labour’s Woman to Woman pink bus visited 75 constituencies, targeting women who didn’t vote in the previous election
In 2014, Jo Swinson launched a Liberal Democrats campaignto push for equal pay and increased childcare provision
In 1997, Tony Blair introduced all-women shortlists to increase the number of women in parliament
How have women influenced the outcome of a previous election?
In 1970, Ted Heath’s Conservative’s won a surprise victory over Harold Wilson’s Labour Party. It was believed that the ‘housewives’ had swung the election from Heath. His promise of economic stability, protection for the price of the weekly shop and a stable society were believed to have appealed to mothers with family concerns, from all classes.
What statistics can be used to show that looking at women as one group doesn’t effectively mirror election results?
In 2019, although women overall supported the Conservatives, Labour received more support among young women: 64% of women aged 18-24 and 54% of women aged 25-34. While young male voters also favoured Labour, the gaps were significantly smaller. However, in the 35-54 categories, women were slightly more likely to vote Conservative than Labour, though not as much as men, and once voters reached 55, there was virtually no gender gap.
What percentage of 18-24 year olds voted Conservative and what percentage voted Labour? What about the percentages for 65+ (2019 election)
19% of 18-24s voted Conservative while 62% voted Labour
64% of 65+ voted Conservative while 17% voted Labour
What is a recent example of anti ethnic minority sentiment?
Boris Johnson used racially offensive language, such as describing the Queen meeting the commonwealth countries by ‘flag-waving picaninnies’, a derogatory term for black children, and saying that women in burkas ‘look like letterboxes’
In 1970, what % of the electorate voted for either one of the two main parties?
88%
What was significant about voting in the 2017 election in terms of the party system?
The results seemed to show a reemergence of the Conservative/Labour division, with 82.4% voting for the two main parties , the highest proportion since 1970
In 2019, how was the votes for the Conservatives split amongst the different classes?
It was noticeable that a large proportion of C2 voters voted Conservative. In 2019, the Conservatives won across all social classes with a higher proportion from C2 (47%) than AB and C1 (45% each). Although, it was much closer between the Conservatives and Labour in the DE classes with Conservatives winning 41% and Labour winning 39%.
How did the voting pattern for Labour change in the DE class between 2017 and 2019?
In 2019, Labour’s vote share remained strongest at 39%, but compared to 2017 it saw continued significant decline as in 2017, 44% of DE voters voted for Labour
How did the Lib Dem vote change in 2019 in terms of class?
They increased by an average of 4% across all classes, but still won fewer seats than they had in 2017
Which classes voted for the Greens the most in 2019?
A and B
What was gender statistics of voting like in 2017?
In 2017, there was a 6% advantage to the Conservatives among men: 45% Conservative and 39% Labour. In the meantime, the women’s vote was split equally among the two main parties at 43% each. This suggests the Conservatives were able to win by winning the male vote
What was gender statistics of voting like in 2019?
The gender gap continued to be evident. Support for Labour declined significantly, with Conservatives winning 15% more of the male vote (46% to 31%) and 9% more in the female vote (43% to 34%).
why did so many young people vote for labour in 2017?
Jeremy Corbyn had an ability to enthuse and motivate young people. Also a lot of young people in opposition to Brexit
In 2019, what % of minority ethnic people voted for Conservative and what % voted for Labour?
20% voted Conservative and 64% voted Labour
What is an example of the image of the party leader not mattering in post war elections?
Winston Churchill described Attlee as ‘a modest man with so much to be modest about’ while Maggie T said he was ‘all substance and no show’. Yet Attlee won a landslide majority against the more charismatic and seemingly popular Churchill. It would suggest the role of rational choice theory was more important back then
How did Michael Foot and Maggine T compare in public perception?
Margaret Thatcher who appeared as a strong nationalist leader after victory in the Falkland War defeated Michael Foot, who was considered scruffy, and was particularly criticised for wearing a donkey jacket when laying a wreath at Remembrance Sunday
How did Tony Blair and John Major compare in public perception?
The young, charismatic and media-savvy Tony Blair defeated the ‘straw man’ or ‘grey man’ John Major, who was considered to be weak or boring
How did Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn compare in public perception?
Boris Johnson had a clear message on the central issue of Brexit and a popular personal image. This allowed him to defeat the ideological J.C., who produced an manifesto which didn’t resonate with voters and had seen his reputation for leadership decline dramatically since the previous election
