Unit 1: Voting Behaviour Flashcards
What are the three competing theories of voting behaviour?
- the sociological model - based on group membership - voting reflects economic and social position of the group. emphasis on long-term factors
- party identification model - voting an expression of emotional attachment to a party. partisanship
- the issue-voting model - voters are like consumers, voting is policy based and based on short-term factors
What are core voters?
-voters who continually support one party and have a strong allegiance
What are floating/swing voters?
-voters with few/no long-term party loyalties, who vote for different parties in different elections
What is a class voter?
-either a middle-class Conservative voter or a working-class Labour voter?
What did Peter Pulzer say in 1967 about social class and voting?
-‘class is the basis of British party politics; all else is embellishment and detail’
In 1966 what percentage of voters were classified as class voters?
-66%
In 1979 what percentage of voters were classified as class voters?
-51%
In 1987 what percentage of voters were classified as class voters?
-44%
In 2010 what percentage of voters were classified as class voters?
-38%
What are the long-term factors in voting? [6]
- social class
- party loyalty
- gender
- age
- religion and ethnicity
- region
In 1964-66 what percentage of voters claimed to identify with a party, and what percentage ‘strongly identified’ with a party
- 90%
- 44%
In 2005 what percetnage of voters ‘strongly identified’ with a party?
-10%
What has the main gender bias in voting behaviour traditionally been, although it has signficantly declined in recent years?
-female voters - Conservative
What is a political generation?
-the (alleged) tendancy for a generation of voters to remain loyal to the party that was dominant when they were young i.e. over 65’s - Conservative
In 2005, which party lead amongst Church of England voters and by how much?
- Conservative
- 9%
Which religious and ethnic groups tend to support Labour?
-Protestant non-conformists, especially Methodists and some Catholics
-Black and ethnic minority
-
In 2001 what was Labour’s lead amongst black and Asian voters?
- 67%
- 58%
In 2005 and 2010 where and why did some Muslim Asian votes go?
- Labour —-> Lib Dem
- the Iraq War
Define class dealignment
-the weakening of the relationship between social class and party support
What are four possible explanations for class dealignment (detail)?
- the changing class system. smaller manual work force, traditional working class —> new working class
- cross-class locations. social class less clear-cut through e.g. decline in trade union membership, rise in home ownership
- embourgoisement. growing affluence - some working class voters thinking of themselves as middle-class. affluent workers less solidaristic, more concerned about self/material interest
- secotral cleavages. public/private sectors affects vote, cuts across class differences
What was the size (percentage) of the manual work force in 1961 and in 2010?
- 58%
- 29%
What is the traditional working class? [3]
- manual workers who tend to work in the ‘heavy’ industries e.g. coal, steel, shipbuilding.
- have high levels of union membeship
- dependent on public services, including council housing
What is the new working class? [3]
- work in service industries
- less unionized
- often home oweners
Where is Liberal Democrat support strongest?
-the Celtic fringe
What is partisan dealignment and what has it lead to in elections?
- the decline in alignment of identification with a party by voters, and the growing number of swing voters
- has lead to increased uncertainty about electoral outcomes
What are four possible explanations for partisan dealignment (detail)?
- increased education. voters encouraged to question traditional loyalties, and take policies and issues more seriously
- impact of the media. access to a wider source of information - TV and internet. Less dependent on party supporting newspapers
- ideological change. shift since the 80s - often in response to class dealignment - some traditional supporters alienated, especially with New Labour?
- decline in social capital. social attachments/loyalties weakened by more diverse, fluid and consumer-oriented society
What are the short-term factors in voting? [6]
- policies
- performance
- leaders
- party image
- campaigning
- tactical voting
What qualities do leaders have to display in order to be successful in an election? [3]
- accessibility - likeability
- trustworthiness (or appearance of trustworthiness)
- strength - competence, confidence and assertiveness
What is an example of the ‘wrong’ policies at an election?
- 1983 Labour - ‘the longest suicide note in history’
- promised to extend nationalisation, increase taxation, boost public spending
What was Labour’s image problem in the 80s, and to a lesser extent still is?
-being too closely linked to/influenced by the trade unions
What was the Conservative’s image problem in the 90s, and to a lesser extent still is?
-the ‘nasty party’ - associated with a ‘get rich quick’ ethos and dismissive of the poor, minority groups and women
How did Cameron try do detoxify the Conservative’s image after he became leader in 2005?
- emphasis on green policies
- more inclusive appeal (aiming at young, women and ethnic minority voters)
- more concern about the poor and public services
How much was spent by parties on the 2005 election?
-over £40 million
What are potentially two of the most significant campaign methods?
- local campaigning
- backing of major newspapers
What three sociological factors may be having an effect on turnout, and why are in reality unlikely?
- people with higher education are more likely to vote
- but educational standards and extent of education have rise, so turnout should have risen
- increase in ethnic minority groups, who are less likely to vote
- although ethnic minority groups have grown, it has been gradual and not abrupt post-1997
- partisan dealignment may be linked to voter apathy
- but this began in the 1970s when turnout levels were still relatively high
What is a more likely explanation for declining turnout (details)?
-the immediate political circumstances surrounding the last three general elections
- in 2001 and 2005 - ‘hapathy’ - fewer pressing issues
- unpopular government faced less popular opposition
- few differences in policies on offer
- in 2010, economic crisis was probably the cause of the slight rise
- but it was a choice between Brown, widely accused of failure, and Cameron with only partially detoxified party image and drastic (alarming to many) austerity package
If the immediate political circumstances surrounding elections have such a large impact on election turnout, where does responsibility for turnout logically lie?
-with the parties and their ability to regain public trust and credibility
What are the main arguments for compulsory voting (details)? [4]
- increased participation
- greater democratic legitimacy. governments would be more likely t have a popular majority, not just an electoral majority (this has never happened in a UK general election)
- civic duty. the more people engage in politics, they more they think and act as full citizens with a democratic responsibility
- stronger social justice. genuine political equality requires not only that all can vote, but that all do vote. currently the worst off members of society are less likely to vote, leaving them unrepresented
What are the main arguments against compulsory voting (details)? [4]
- violation of freedom as voting would be a compulsion. the right not to vote is equally important, and can reflect dissatisfaction with the system
- cosmetic democracy. addresses the symptom, not the problem.
- worthless votes - those who are already disinterested may not fully consider their vote, potentially undermining legitimacy
- distorted political focus - electoral efforts may become concentrated on the previous non-voters rather than the mass of the electorate (although this already happens)
