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Politics (Mr Drew) > The impact of social factors on voting behaviour > Flashcards

The impact of social factors on voting behaviour Flashcards

1
Q

Define social class

A

The way social researchers classify people based on their occupation and income

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2
Q

Why is defining social class a contentious issue?

A

Because class can include many aspects aside from economics, like social and political capital

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3
Q

State the four different social classifications for citizens in the UK

A
  • AB
  • C1
  • C2
  • DE
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4
Q

Describe some general characteristics of the AB classification

A

Higher and intermediate managerial, administrative and professional occupations

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5
Q

Describe some general characteristics of the C1
classification

A

Supervisory, clerical and junior management, administrative and professional occupations

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6
Q

Describe some general characteristics of the C2 classification

A

Skilled manual occupations

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7
Q

Describe some general characteristics of the DE classification

A

Semi-skilled and unskilled manual occupations, unemployed and lowest grade occupations

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8
Q

Describe some typical occupations for the AB social classification

A
  • Banker
  • Doctor
  • Company director
  • Senior executive
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9
Q

Describe some typical occupations for the C1 social classification

A
  • Teacher
  • Office manager
  • IT manager
  • Social worker
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10
Q

Describe some typical occupations for the C2 social classification

A
  • Plumber
  • Hairdresser
  • Mechanic
  • Train driver
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11
Q

Describe some typical occupations for the DE social classification

A
  • Labourer
  • Bar staff
  • Call centre staff
  • Unemployed
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12
Q

What proportion of the population belongs to the AB social classification?

A

22%

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13
Q

What proportion of the population belongs to the C1 social classification?

A

31%

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14
Q

What proportion of the population belongs to the C2 social classification?

A

21%

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15
Q

What proportion of the population belongs to the DE social classification?

A

26%

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16
Q

What is the issue with the use of social classifications?

A

Many people will identify as part of a class that does not fall within these definitions; not everyone will agree or identify with the social classification they have been placed in

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17
Q

What proportion of people voted in alignment with what their social class suggested in the 1960s?

A

80%

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18
Q

Describe voting proclivities according to social class during the mid to late 20th century

A
  • The C1 class was typically, though not overwhelmingly, Conservative
  • The DE class mostly voted for Labour
  • The AB mostly favoured the Conservatives
  • The C2 class mostly voted for Labour
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19
Q

Where was the political battle largely fought throughout the 20th century?

A

Between the C1 and C2 voters; as they were less likely to vote in alignment with class. Consequently, political parties would tailor their manifestos to these groups

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20
Q

What is a floating/swing voter?

A

A voter who tends to vote unpredictably in different elections and who is liable to change the way they vote fairly often and who does not identify closely with any party

21
Q

What is a manifesto?

A

Used by a political party to spell out in details what actions and programmes it would like to put into place if it is successful in the next election; a set of promises for future action

22
Q

How has voting been a part of someone’s class identity historically?

A

To be middle or upper class was to be conservative; to be working class meant that you would support the party of the working class

23
Q

Why can it be seen as a rational decision to vote for the party associated with your class?

A

The Conservative party was conceived of as governing more in the interests of the middle and upper class, while Labour developed policies to help the working class and the poor

24
Q

How much has DE voting for Labour decreased between 1964-2019?

A

25%

25
Q

How much has AB voting for the Conservatives decreased between 1964-2019?

A

33%

26
Q

How can the fact that 1/3 of the traditional working class still voted conservative be explained?

A
  • This was partially the result of a factor called ‘deference’. This was a tendency for some members of the class to ‘defer’ to or respect those whom they conceived to be their superiors
  • Some lower class voters aspired to be part of the upper classes and voted conservative as evidence of this aspiration
27
Q

Which correlation between class and voting tendency has remained relatively strong?

A

AB voters and the conservatives

28
Q

How can the decline in AB voters voting for the conservatives be explained?

A

New Labour’s success in taking some of the conservative’s middle class support

29
Q

Define class dealignment

A

The process whereby individuals no longer identify themselves as belonging to a certain class and, for political purposes, fail to make a class connection with their voting pattern

30
Q

Why have the larger parties started to adopt more centrist and consensual policies?

A

So they can appeal to a wider class base, largely in the centre of society

31
Q

How are electoral turnout and social class linked?

A

There is a higher turnout amongst higher social groups

32
Q

List some of the potential explanations for why turnout increases with class

A
  • Education levels
  • Perceptions about how much their vote is valued
  • A class-based feeling of disconnection from the political process
33
Q

Why are parties who target voters from the C2 and DE class currently struggling?

A

Because these classes have been shrinking as a proportion of the population, and are much less likely to turn out in elections

34
Q

How can the participation crisis surrounding DE voters be seen as a negative cycle?

A

DE voters feel ignored by politicians and so do not vote. Politicians then ignore DE voters because they do not vote

35
Q

State some of the arguements in favour of the idea that social class is still an important factor in deciding elections

A
  • Issues over levels of taxation and welfare payments, closely linked to class, still distinguish the main two parties
  • A number of voters still identify with a party based on their social class
  • Regional voting tends to reflect class-based issues like wealth and poverty
  • Social immobility and inequality still remain big concerns for many voters
36
Q

State some of the arguements against the idea that social class is still an important factor in deciding elections

A
  • Major issues, like Brexit and immigration, cross class divides
  • The size and importance of the working class has declined, making it less of an electoral force
  • Increased home ownership and better levels of education have made it harder to determine class affiliations
  • To be successful, parties must now appeal to a wide range of social classes, rather than just one or two of them
37
Q

State the 6 main contributary factors in class dealignment

A
  • The members of the working class who wish to become more middle class have started to vote aspirationally
  • The service sector has expanded
  • The tradtional industrial working class of the 1970s has disappeared
  • The public sector was privatised
  • Better education has led to greater social mobility
  • Deference, accepting ones place in society, has become less commonplace
38
Q

How did Margaret Thatcher help social mobility in 1979?

A

She catered to aspiration by selling council houses

39
Q

How did Blair try to cater to a broader spectrum of classes?

A
  • Labour marketed themselves as New Labour in 1997
  • Blair reworded clause IV in the Labour Party constitution
40
Q

How did Theresa May try to appeal to classes who may not traditionally vote conservative?

A

She branded the conservatives as the ‘party of aspiration’

41
Q

How are Lib Dem votes distributed across the class system?

A

21% of AB and C1 voters vote Lib Dem, compared to just 11% of C2 and DE voters

42
Q

How are UKIP votes distributed across the class system?

A

36% of C2 and DE voters voted UKIP, compared to just 19% of C1 and AB voters

43
Q

How are Green Party votes distributed across the class system?

A

Green party votes are virtually evenly distributed across the different classes

44
Q

What proportion of the AB class voted to leave the EU in 2016?

A

43%

45
Q

What proportion of the C1 class voted to leave the EU in 2016?

A

51%

46
Q

What proportion of the C2 class voted to leave the EU in 2016?

A

64%

47
Q

What proportion of the DE class voted to leave the EU in 2016?

A

64%

48
Q

Analyse the 2016 Brexit referendum in terms of class?

A

Those of greater wealth and social status were less likely to want to leave the EU

Politics (Mr Drew) (42 decks)

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