voting behavior Flashcards
Voting behavior factors
-Regional preferences
-Class
-Gender
-Age
-Ethnicity
-Education
Voting behavior theories
-Rational choice voting
-Issue voting
-Valence issues
Traditional regional preferences
Rural England - Conservative
London, urban centers and Industrial North - Labour
Scotland - SNP, formerly Labour
Wales- Labour
Class
In the UK, class or ‘social grade’ is put into 6 categories
-A, higher managerial
-B, middle managers
-C1, office clerks
-C2, skilled manual
-D, semi and unskilled labourers
-D, unemployed and pensioners
Traditional class preferences in post-war Britain
A, B, C1- conservative
C2, D, E - Labour
Phenomenon where traditional social class preferences shift
Class dealignment
Age preferences
Younger voters more likely to vote Labour
2017, 66% of voters 18-19 years old voted Labour while 70% of voters aged 70+ voted Conservative
Turnout is also higher among older people, favours Conservative party
Why are younger people more likely to vote Labour?
Labour’s policies reducing the burden of tuition fees and rent, young people tend to rent more
Conservative policies favour homeowners, older people tend to be homeowners
Goes hand in hand with ethnicity as white people have a higher median age
Ethnicity
White vote favours Conservatives while BAME vote favours Labour
In 2015, 39% of white voters voted Conservative and 28% Labour
While BAME voters voted 65% Labour and 23% Conservative
Education
Those whose highest qualification were GCSEs or lower had a plurality of votes for Conservative in 2024 at 31%, while those with a bachelor’s degree or higher had a plurality of votes for Labour at 42%
Rational Choice model
Theory that suggests that people vote for the party who will act in their best interest
Assumes voters will be well informed and choose the option best for them
“Economic voting” suggests that voters will vote for the party which will benefit them economically (homeowners vs renters)
Issue voting
Voters pick who to vote based on which party is closest to their position on the policy they see as most important
Different to rational choice as rest of the party’s policies may not be in their favour
Valence issues
On issues where there isn’t disagreement between parties e.g. wanting the economy to prosper or wanting the NHS to be effective, people vote for the party they think are most likely to deliver on this issue, or based on their perceived competence.
Party Leader
UK media and voters have increasingly focused on party leaders in a process called presidentialization.
Manifestos
They are scrutinized, focused on and defended heavily in the media during election campaigns.
However, polling has shown that 2/3 of people don’t read manifestos, whilst many voters have made their mind up months or years before manifestos are released.
