Political Preferences Flashcards
What traditional class and economic cleavages are there in society? Why?
Left wing parties tend to be favoured by more working class voters as a result of their support of welfare and wealth redistribution. Right wing parties are generally favoured by middle and upper classes due to defence of the free market, private property, etc.
What has happened to class-based voting today?
Class voting has generally been on the decline, owing to the decrease in the size of the working class and the growth of the new service (middle) class. There is also a changing relationship between voters and parties, which tend not to target policies at particular classes any more, broadening appeal across the electorate.
Why did left wing parties in particular face a crisis in the collapse of class-based voting? How did they respond to this?
Left wing parties had to change their policies and appeal to different voters after the shrinking of their traditional class-based electorate in order to win elections. This generally saw them move to the political centre.
What is a bi-dimensional political spectrum?
A bi-dimensional political spectrum is one that shifts from socialist/conservative on one axis, and from authoritarian/liberal on another.
What sort of parties have been on the rise since the decline in traditional class-based association?
Catch-all parties, those that have broad appeals across economic and cultural dimensions, have been on the rise given the decline in class-based voting.
What role does education supposedly play in voter preferences? How does class complicate this?
There is a relationship between a higher level of education and a tendency to vote for liberal parties. However, education is also often an indicator of class, therefore it is hard to see how much of a role should be attributed to class or to education.
Explain the competitive threat theoretical model (both economic and cultural sides)
The competitive threat theoretical model discusses attitudes towards immigration. The economic side of this assesses how immigration will affect economic circumstances/society and the cultural side assesses how immigrants will impact the national and cultural character of society.
Explain an egocentric economic evaluation and a socio-tropic economic evaluation. What is the difference when assessing attitudes towards immigration?
An egocentric economic evaluation looks at how immigration will affect an individual’s economic circumstances, while a socio-tropic economic evaluation assesses how immigration will impact society.
How does education tend to impact attitudes towards immigration?
Higher levels of education (and usually middle class, therefore) individuals tend to feel more comfortable with cultural diversity and immigration owing to greater self-confidence, whereas lower levels of education usually align with a scepticism/aversion to immigration and cultural diversity.
What does the decline of relevance of class and a growth in the relevance of education relate to?
The decline of the relevance of class and the growth of education’s relevance relates to the movement of traditional parties back to the centre, a new authoritarian/liberal cleavage, and an educational revolution around post-materialist issues.
What is socialisation? What are agents of socialisation?
Socialisation is a process by which people form ideas about politics and acquire political values. This can occur through family, schools, peers, friends, media, religious institutions and more
What are primary and secondary socialisation groups respectively?
Primary - those closest to you, such as family and friends
Secondary - organisations like schools, churches, civil society, etc.
How can it be argued that family is the most important agent of socialisation?
Family can be seen as a foundational structure, shaping what we think. For instance, parents are a source of understanding of the world.
What is party preference homogamy and marital homogamy?
Marital homogamy suggests that there is a tendency to choose partners who are similar in various aspects - party preference homogamy will suggest that people will chose partners who align with them politically.
Explain the causal funnel of Dalton, 2013
Dalton argued that various different factors influence voter preferences, moving from things that are distant from an election, to things close to a vote. Similarly, it suggests that things of overarching structural significance narrow down to smaller political decisions in terms of what influences a voter.
